ordinance

American  

[awr-dn-uhns] / ˈɔr dn əns /

noun

1. an authoritative rule or law; a decree or command.

   Synonyms:

   order

2. a public injunction or regulation.

   a city ordinance against excessive horn blowing.

   Synonyms:

   order

3. something believed to have been ordained, as by a deity or destiny.

4. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an established rite or ceremony.

   2. a sacrament.

   3. the communion.

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ordinance British  

/ ˈɔːdɪnəns /

noun

1. an authoritative regulation, decree, law, or practice

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preordinance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ordinance

1275–1325; Middle English ordinaunce (< Old French ordenance ) < Medieval Latin ordinantia, derivative of Latin ordinant- (stem of ordināns ), present participle of ordināre to arrange. See ordination, -ance

Explanation

An ordinance is a local law. Many cities have recently passed ordinances making it illegal to smoke indoors or mandatory for pet owners to curb their dogs. Ordinance can also mean the act of making someone a priest. In both senses, it means a direction or command coming down from a higher authority or an official conference. If you break an ordinance, you'll likely be fined rather than jailed. Remember that an ordinance is a rule meant to keep things in order.

Example Sentences

At an arts and parks subcommittee meeting Tuesday morning, some members of the public urged Jurado to act and introduce the ordinance for a vote, while others encouraged her to drop it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Last year, the city council passed a union-backed ordinance that would have lifted the minimum wage for hotel workers to $30 an hour by 2028, though the increase has since been delayed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

A year ago Mayor Karen Bass signed an ordinance raising the city’s minimum wage for hotel workers to $30 an hour in July 2028—timed to coincide with the L.A.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

“If a council puts in an ordinance, a future council can reverse it too,” said Yang.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

Dad said they’d been behind the city ordinance limiting dog ownership to two dogs per family.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover