rule of engagement

American  

noun

plural

rules of engagement

1. a directive issued by a military authority controlling the use and degree of force, especially specifying circumstances and limitations for engaging in combat.

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Example Sentences

But the panel concluded that since the deployment of the army was not justified, the question of whether troops adhered to any rule of engagement was immaterial.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2021

For the agencies that oversee the army of spies that remained behind after the Cold War, it would throw into question every understood rule of engagement.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2018

Imagine a ground war run by this hydra-headed body, in which every rule of engagement, every change in strategy, every new operation would have to go before and through the committee of 19.

From Time Magazine Archive

My dad stopped pacing and looked at me like I had just broken the first rule of engagement.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez