regulation

[ reg-yuh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

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 ( control def 16 ):

   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.

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

/ 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)

regulation

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

Other Words From

• non·reg·u·la·tion noun
• o·ver·reg·u·la·tion noun
• re·reg·u·la·tion noun
• su·per·reg·u·la·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of regulation¹

First recorded in 1665–75; regulate + -ion

Example Sentences

Layers upon layers of regulations may seem like bureaucracy.

From Singularity Hub 

If everything has to be coordinated by the minute, you need clear rules and regulations.

From Freakonomics

Though the regulations around them are still somewhat piecemeal, drones have seen a steady uptick in practical use cases over the last couple years.

From Singularity Hub 

Under the Clean Air Act, industrial facilities emitting these pollutants are subject to regulations.

From ProPublica

The most important thing it did for me is to not think of regulation just as a tool that will help in limiting these systems.

From MIT Technology Review

In other words, unnecessarily stringent abortion regulation could be far more dangerous than abortion itself.

From The Daily Beast

Others fear that giving them the force of regulation could be more harmful because they would become outdated quickly.

From The Daily Beast

Gun regulation, of course, was not the only successful initiative, not by a long shot.

From The Daily Beast

The resulting negotiation, they hope, would gut the EPA regulation.

From The Daily Beast

Many people simply take it for granted that government regulation achieves its intended ends.

From The Daily Beast

His presence, also, always graced Walls End Castle at the regulation periods.

From Project Gutenberg

The regulation chairs and tables of the furnished house had been banished from Mrs. Haggard's drawing-room.

From Project Gutenberg

Well, we must try our luck with a regulation sabre; they can't well refuse it; ours is the stronger and bigger man.

From Project Gutenberg

His smooth brow wrinkled and his mouth tightened to a thin straight line beneath the fair "regulation" moustache.

From Project Gutenberg

Doing so, I received a different sort of salute from that to which a Commander-in-Chief landing on duty is entitled by regulation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• code
• decree
• law
• order
• principle
• procedure
• statute