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

• 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

So the only reasonable charge was violating the city ordinance against disturbing “the peace of others by violent, offensive or boisterous conduct or language,” but that was tacked on later, in February.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Then, as the weeks went on, the city added more: resisting arrest, violating a city ordinance about breaching the peace, and providing false information.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

In 2020, Milan Township passed an ordinance that would allow the project to go forward, with Heath’s brother, the township supervisor, abstaining.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

This tie-up of funds is driven specifically by the combination of the new ordinance and the foreign subsidiary proposal announced on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

“Laughing is against the law. Don’t you have a rule book? It’s local ordinance 574381-W.”

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster