- present participle of rule.
ruling
Americannoun
-
rulings
plural
adjective
-
governing or dominating.
the ruling party.
-
controlling; predominating.
the ruling factor in recovery from an illness.
-
widespread; prevalent.
ruling prices; ruling values.
noun
-
a decision of someone in authority, such as a judge
-
one or more parallel ruled lines
adjective
-
controlling or exercising authority
the ruling classes
-
prevalent or predominant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ruling
1175–1225; Middle English (gerund); see rule, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
The official decision a judge makes is a ruling. You can also use this word as an adjective, to describe something or someone in charge, like a ruling political party. The group with political power in a country might be described as the ruling coalition, and the government itself could be called the ruling authority. When it's a noun, the word ruling has a legal meaning: it's the court's opinion. This definition dates from the 1550s, from the verb rule, from its Latin root regula, "straight stick or bar."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If that question prompts déjà vu, recall the High Court’s 2022 ruling in Carson v.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Al-Hussaini’s family is publicly challenging the medical examiner’s suicide ruling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Neither the Justice Department nor Essayli’s office responded to requests for comment on the ruling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Moyes' fury will have increased because Grealish, who missed Saturday's loss at Arsenal through "illness", is part of a paper-thin squad that simply cannot carry passengers or have players ruling themselves out through needless ill-discipline.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
As the country grew, some descendants of the first Ulster Scots settlers were able to gain entry to the ruling class.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The filing says Kalshi kept offering wagers in Utah after both rulings.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Other federal judges made similar rulings in dozens of states across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Defendants have asked for several of the suits to be thrown out, but no final rulings have been issued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Despite a request from litigants to overturn prior rulings in Kisor, a slim majority of the court ruled that judges were still required to defer to an agency’s interpretations of its regulations.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026
Legal rulings empowered people with developmental disabilities to refuse treatment and created rights for the mentally disabled that made forced institutionalization much less common.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
