ruler

[roo-ler]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ruler ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

Origin of ruler

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at rule, -er¹

Related formssub·rul·er, nounun·der·rul·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ruler

king, monarch, emperor, czar, sultan, shah, majesty, queen, empress, mogul, kaiser, prince, baron, royal, sovereign, potentate, lord, dame, tycoon, baroness

Examples from the Web for ruler

Contemporary Examples of ruler

How will we know if Kim, when he eventually surfaces, is ruler or figurehead?
Kim Jong Un: Erased?
Gordon G. Chang
October 10, 2014
He wanted peace and harmony, and in this respect he was just another Roman ruler interested in imperial unity.
Plotting Nicea III Could Be Pope Francis's Masterstroke
Candida Moss
June 8, 2014
Anyone “who has authority of the sword, is the ruler of a city, or wears the purple” has to resign his job or leave.
St. Hippolytus’ Careers Christians Should Never Have
Candida Moss
May 4, 2014
The Bible makes this out to be a matter of popular acclaim, the people lining up to have David as their ruler.
The King David You Never Knew
Joel Baden
October 27, 2013
Anyhow, they realized, Assad had also lost his legitimacy as a ruler.
What Israel Really Thinks About Syria
Yaakov Katz
May 23, 2013

Historical Examples of ruler

It does not matter whether we recognize a king or an emperor or a president as our ruler.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Angelo, the would-be Puritan ruler, was a "false seemer," Malvolio was a "chough."
The Man Shakespeare
Frank 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 Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
She took the crown from her head with her own hands, and ceased to be the ruler of Sweden.
Biographical Stories
Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for ruler

ruler

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ruler

"one who rules," late 14c., agent noun from rule (v.). Meaning "instrument used for making straight lines" is c.1400 (cf. rule (n.)).