ruler
[roo-ler]
- a person who rules or governs; sovereign.
- Also rule. a strip of wood, metal, or other material having a straight edge and usually marked off in inches or centimeters, used for drawing lines, measuring, etc.
- a person or thing that rules paper, wood, etc.
- Astrology. the planet primarily associated with any sign of the zodiac or any house of the horoscope: The ruler of Aries is Mars. The ruler of Taurus is Venus.
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Origin of ruler
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
kingmonarchemperorczarsultanshahmajestyqueenempressmogulkaiserprincebaronroyalsovereignpotentatelorddametycoonbaronessExamples from the Web for ruler
Contemporary Examples
How will we know if Kim, when he eventually surfaces, is ruler or figurehead?
He wanted peace and harmony, and in this respect he was just another Roman ruler interested in imperial unity.
Anyone “who has authority of the sword, is the ruler of a city, or wears the purple” has to resign his job or leave.
The Bible makes this out to be a matter of popular acclaim, the people lining up to have David as their ruler.
Anyhow, they realized, Assad had also lost his legitimacy as a ruler.
Historical Examples
It does not matter whether we recognize a king or an emperor or a president as our ruler.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
Angelo, the would-be Puritan ruler, was a "false seemer," Malvolio was a "chough."
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
Obedience has regard to the will of a ruler, not to necessity and truth.
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part IV]Benedict of Spinoza
Dir would have repudiated its ruler and joined the combination.
The Story of the Malakand Field ForceSir Winston S. Churchill
She took the crown from her head with her own hands, and ceased to be the ruler of Sweden.
Biographical StoriesNathaniel Hawthorne
ruler
- a person who rules or commands
- Also called: rule a strip of wood, metal, or other material, having straight edges graduated usually in millimetres or inches, used for measuring and drawing straight lines
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ruler
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper