ruler

[ roo-ler ]

/ ˈru lər /

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.

Nearby words

rule of thumb, rule out, rule the roost, ruled surface, ruleless, ruler, rulership, rules, rules committee, rules of order, ruling

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

Anyhow, they realized, Assad had also lost his legitimacy as a ruler.
What Israel Really Thinks About Syria|Yaakov Katz|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Evidently his subjects knew as little of Yucatan as did their ruler.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold
But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, 'Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
The Bible Story|Rev. Newton Marshall Hall
The ruler of each clan was called a chief, who was really the chief man of his family.
An Historical Account of the Settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America|J. P. MacLean
This increase of power went together with a change of the position of the ruler.
A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]|Wolfram Eberhard
Yet this was the house of a ruler hostile to that flag to which I had thrown a good-by kiss, up at Fort Leavenworth.
Vanguards of the Plains|Margaret McCarter

British Dictionary definitions for ruler

ruler

/ (ˈruːlə) /

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

ruler

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

ruler

noun

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Origin of ruler

Examples from the Web for ruler

British Dictionary definitions for ruler

ruler

noun

Word Origin and History for ruler

ruler