regulation

American  

[reg-yuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌrɛg jəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

regulations plural

1. a law, rule, or other order prescribed by authority, especially to regulate conduct.

   Safety regulations require the use of impact-resistant helmets.

2. the act of regulating or the state of being regulated.

   Adolescence is a potentially important time in the development of emotion regulation.

   Synonyms:

   adjustment, disposition, dispensation, management, direction

3. Sports. the normal, prescribed duration of a game according to the sport's regulations, exclusive of any extra innings, overtime period, etc..

   The Knicks tied the score in the final seconds of regulation, sending the game into overtime.

4. Biology. the internal response that an organism undergoes to adapt to external stimuli (distinguished from control).

   Regulation of blood flow is an essential mechanism for delivering oxygen and glucose to the tissues that need it most.

5. Genetics. the act or process of controlling the expression of genes.

   Scientists are hoping to discover whether viruses can be used to study gene regulation in mammalian cells.

6. Embryology. the process by which an embryo can continue to develop normally after it has been damaged.

   Added cells become normally integrated into the body of the host embryo, which provides additional evidence of embryonic regulation.

7. Electronics. the difference between maximum and minimum voltage drops between the anode and the cathode of a gas tube for a specified range of values of the anode current.

8. Machinery. the percentage difference in some quantity related to the operation of an apparatus or machine, as the voltage output of a transformer or the speed of a motor, between the value of the quantity at no-load operation and its value at full-load operation.

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adjective

1. prescribed by or conforming to regulation.

   regulation army equipment.

2. usual; normal; customary.

   the regulation decorations for a Halloween party.

3. Sports. during the normal, prescribed duration of a game.

   Both teams are entitled to two timeouts in each half of regulation play.

regulation British  

/ ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of regulating

2. a rule, principle, or condition that governs procedure or behaviour

3. a governmental or ministerial order having the force of law

4. embryol the ability of an animal embryo to develop normally after its structure has been altered or damaged in some way

5. (modifier) as required by official rules or procedure

   regulation uniform

6. (modifier) normal; usual; conforming to accepted standards

   a regulation haircut

7. electrical engineering the change in voltage occurring when a load is connected across a power supply, caused by internal resistance (for direct current) or internal impedance (alternating current)

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regulation Cultural  

1. Laws through which governments can control privately owned businesses.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonregulation
  noun
• overregulation
  noun
• reregulation
  noun
• superregulation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• regulations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of regulation

First recorded in 1665–75; regulate + -ion

Explanation

If you declare that Fridays are Pajama Day, did you create a regulation? No. A regulation is a rule put in place by some authority, such as a government. In fact, there might already be a regulation on the books: No pajamas in school. If you're trying to remember what a regulation is, think about the phrase "rules and regulations." Regulations are often set by governing bodies of a sport or other activity — thus, there is an accepted regulation-size soccer ball, set by FIFA, professional soccer's governing body. Many government agencies are in charge of "regulating" industries, setting up regulations that companies need to follow to keep us all safe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

regulation regulations

The department responded to questions about the state’s record on regulation with a statement that emphasized it requires schools to conduct background screening for owners and employees who have direct contact with students.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Chatbots can help unlock conversations someone with social anxiety might otherwise avoid, she says, but it’s no substitute for real emotional regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

They said a "lack of regulation means that a technology without any kind of robust independent evidence base can just be rolled out" widely.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Researchers suggest that such exposure could offer nutritional advantages or other benefits, including possible immune regulation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Walter Noel’s red blood cells and liver cells contained the same genetic information—but gene regulation ensured that the hemoglobin protein was only present in red blood cells, and not in the liver.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Selling Rogers was the easiest way to comply with the regulations but it means large-scale spending to replace the England forward as well as Tielemans and Digne is unlikely without further significant exits.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The mayor recently proposed reforms to some regulations on small businesses, like no longer requiring restaurants to obtain a special permit to serve ice cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

“China has said explicitly, we want to sit down and come up with common-sense, baseline regulations for all countries, so that we don’t have this kind of thing happening,” Russell said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

However, they added that "regulations set out minimum criteria for tourist accommodation", but that "disability access is not specifically covered by these regulations, as it falls under other regulations".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Mr. Thurston, the clerk, would give the girl the broadside with the regulations for the Concord and arrange for her to have her smallpox vaccination the following morning.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• adjustment
• arrangement
• control
• governance
• management
• settlement
• supervision