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rule - 14 dictionary results

rule

  [rool] ,noun, verb, ruled, rul⋅ing.
Use rule in a Sentence
–noun
1. a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement, etc.: the rules of chess.
2. the code of regulations observed by a religious order or congregation: the Franciscan rule.
3. the customary or normal circumstance, occurrence, manner, practice, quality, etc.: the rule rather than the exception.
4. control, government, or dominion: under the rule of a dictator.
5. tenure or conduct of reign or office: during the rule of George III.
6. a prescribed mathematical method for performing a calculation or solving a problem.
7. ruler (def. 2).
8. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Norma.
9. Printing. a thin, type-high strip of metal, for printing a solid or decorative line or lines.
10. Law.
a. a formal order or direction made by a court, as for governing the procedure of the court (general rule) or for sending the case before a referee (special rule).
b. a legal principle.
c. a court order in a particular case.
11. rules, Penology. (formerly)
a. a fixed area in the neighborhood of certain prisons within which certain prisoners were allowed to live.
b. the freedom of such an area.
12. Obsolete. behavior.
–verb (used with object)
13. to control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern: to rule the empire with severity.
14. to decide or declare judicially or authoritatively; decree: The judge ruled that he should be exiled.
15. to mark with lines, esp. parallel straight lines, with the aid of a ruler or the like: to rule paper.
16. to mark out or form (a line) by this method: to rule lines on paper.
17. to be superior or preeminent in (a specific field or group); dominate by superiority; hold sway over: For centuries, England ruled the seas.
–verb (used without object)
18. to exercise dominating power or influence; predominate.
19. to exercise authority, dominion, or sovereignty.
20. to make a formal decision or ruling, as on a point at law.
21. to be prevalent or current: Higher prices ruled throughout France.
—Verb phrase
22. rule out,
a. to prove to be unrelated or not for consideration; eliminate; exclude: to rule out the possibility of error.
b. to make impossible or impracticable: The rainstorm ruled out the holiday camping.
—Idioms
23. as a rule, generally; usually: He arrives at eleven o'clock, as a rule.
24. rule the roost. roost (def. 6).
Origin:
1175–1225; (n.) ME riule, reule < OF riule < L rēgula straight stick, pattern (see regula ); (v.) ME riwlen, reulen, rewellen < OF riuler, rieuler, ruler < LL rēgulāre, deriv. of rēgula

Synonyms:
1. standard, law, ruling, guide, precept, order. See principle. 4. command, domination, mastery, sway, authority, direction. 13. Rule, administer, command, govern, manage mean to exercise authoritative guidance or direction. Rule implies the exercise of authority as by a sovereign: to rule a kingdom. Administer places emphasis on the planned and orderly procedures used: to administer the finances of an institution. Command suggests military authority and the power to exact obedience; to be in command of: to command a ship. To govern is authoritatively to guide or direct persons or things, esp. in the affairs of a large administrative unit: to govern a state. To manage is to conduct affairs, i.e., to guide them in a unified way toward a definite goal, or to direct or control people, often by tact, address, or artifice: to manage a business. 14. order, judge.

rul⋅er

  [roo-ler]
–noun
1. a person who rules or governs; sovereign.
2. 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.
3. a person or thing that rules paper, wood, etc.
4. 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:
1325–75; ME; see rule, -er 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rule
rule   (rōōl)   
n.  
    1. Governing power or its possession or use; authority.
    2. The duration of such power.
    3. An authoritative, prescribed direction for conduct, especially one of the regulations governing procedure in a legislative body or a regulation observed by the players in a game, sport, or contest.
    4. The body of regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for governing the conduct of its members.
    5. A court order limited in application to a specific case.
    6. A subordinate regulation governing a particular matter.
    1. An authoritative, prescribed direction for conduct, especially one of the regulations governing procedure in a legislative body or a regulation observed by the players in a game, sport, or contest.
    2. The body of regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for governing the conduct of its members.
    3. A court order limited in application to a specific case.
    4. A subordinate regulation governing a particular matter.
  3. A usual, customary, or generalized course of action or behavior: "The rule of life in the defense bar ordinarily is to go along and get along" (Scott Turow).
  4. A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases: In this office, hard work is the rule, not the exception.
  5. Mathematics A standard method or procedure for solving a class of problems.
  6. Law
    1. A court order limited in application to a specific case.
    2. A subordinate regulation governing a particular matter.
  7. See ruler.
  8. Printing A thin metal strip of various widths and designs, used to print borders or lines, as between columns.
v.   ruled, rul·ing, rules

v.   tr.
  1. To exercise control, dominion, or direction over; govern.
  2. To dominate by powerful influence.
  3. To decide or declare authoritatively or judicially; decree. See Synonyms at decide.
    1. To mark with straight parallel lines.
    2. To mark (a straight line), as with a ruler.
v.   intr.
  1. To be in total control or command; exercise supreme authority.
  2. To formulate and issue a decree or decision.
  3. To prevail at a particular level or rate: Prices ruled low.
  4. Slang To be excellent or superior: That new video game rules!
Phrasal Verb(s):
rule out
  1. To prevent; preclude: The snowstorm ruled out their weekly meeting.
  2. To remove from consideration; exclude: The option of starting over has been ruled out.

Idiom(s):
as a ruleIn general; for the most part: As a rule, we take the bus.

[Middle English reule, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin rēgula, rod, principle; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]
rul'a·ble adj.
rul·er   (rōō'lər)   
n.  
  1. One, such as a monarch or dictator, that rules or governs.
  2. A straightedged strip, as of wood or metal, for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths. Also called rule.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Rule

Rule\, n.

Rule of the road (Law), any of the various regulations imposed upon travelers by land or water for their mutual convenience or safety. In the United States it is a rule of the road that land travelers passing in opposite directions shall turn out each to his own right, and generally that overtaking persons or vehicles shall turn out to the left; in England the rule for vehicles (but not for pedestrians) is the opposite of this. Run \Run\, n. 1. (Piquet, Cribbage, etc.) A number of cards of the same suit in sequence; as, a run of four in hearts.

2. (Golf) (a) The movement communicated to a golf ball by running. (b) The distance a ball travels after touching the ground from a stroke.

Rule

Rule\, n. [OE. reule, riule, OF. riule, reule, F. r['e]gle, fr. L. regula a ruler, rule, model, fr. regere, rectum, to lead straight, to direct. See Right, a., and cf. Regular.]

1. That which is prescribed or laid down as a guide for conduct or action; a governing direction for a specific purpose; an authoritative enactment; a regulation; a prescription; a precept; as, the rules of various societies; the rules governing a school; a rule of etiquette or propriety; the rules of cricket.

We profess to have embraced a religion which contains the most exact rules for the government of our lives. --Tillotson.

2. Hence: (a) Uniform or established course of things.

'T is against the rule of nature. --Shak. (b) Systematic method or practice; as, my ule is to rise at six o'clock. (c) Ordibary course of procedure; usual way; comon state or condition of things; as, it is a rule to which there are many exeptions. (d) Conduct in general; behavior. [Obs.]

This uncivil rule; she shall know of it. --Shak.

3. The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.

Obey them that have the rule over you. --Heb. xiii. 17.

His stern rule the groaning land obeyed. --Pope.

4. (Law) An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit. --Wharton.

5. (Math.) A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result; as, a rule for extracting the cube root.

6. (Gram.) A general principle concerning the formation or use of words, or a concise statement thereof; thus, it is a rule in England, that s or es, added to a noun in the singular number, forms the plural of that noun; but "man" forms its plural "men", and is an exception to the rule.

7. (a) A straight strip of wood, metal, or the like, which serves as a guide in drawing a straight line; a ruler. (b) A measuring instrument consisting of a graduated bar of wood, ivory, metal, or the like, which is usually marked so as to show inches and fractions of an inch, and jointed so that it may be folded compactly.

A judicious artist will use his eye, but he will trust only to his rule. --South.

8. (Print.) (a) A thin plate of metal (usually brass) of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work. (b) A composing rule. See under Conposing.

As a rule, as a general thing; in the main; usually; as, he behaves well, as a rule.

Board rule, Caliber rule, etc. See under Board, Caliber, etc.

Rule joint, a knuckle joint having shoulders that abut when the connected pieces come in line with each other, and thus permit folding in one direction only.

Rule of three (Arith.), that rule which directs, when three terms are given, how to find a fourth, which shall have the same ratio to the third term as the second has to the first; proportion. See Proportion, 5 (b) .

Rule of thumb, any rude process or operation, like that of using the thumb as a rule in measuring; hence, judgment and practical experience as distinguished from scientific knowledge.

Syn: regulation; law; precept; maxim; guide; canon; order; method; direction; control; government; sway; empire.

Rule

Rule\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ruled; p. pr. & vb. n. Ruling.] [Cf. OF. riuler, ruiler, L. regulare. See Rule, n., and cf. Regulate.]

1. To control the will and actions of; to exercise authority or dominion over; to govern; to manage. --Chaucer.

A bishop then must be blameless; . . . one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection. --1 Tim. iii. 2, 4.

2. To control or direct by influence, counsel, or persuasion; to guide; -- used chiefly in the passive.

I think she will be ruled In all respects by me. --Shak.

3. To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by universal or general consent, or by common practice.

That's are ruled case with the schoolmen. --Atterbury.

4. (Law) To require or command by rule; to give as a direction or order of court.

5. To mark with lines made with a pen, pencil, etc., guided by a rule or ruler; to print or mark with lines by means of a rule or other contrivance effecting a similar result; as, to rule a sheet of paper of a blank book.

Ruled surface (Geom.), any surface that may be described by a straight line moving according to a given law; -- called also a scroll.

Rule

Rule\, v. i. 1. To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority; -- often followed by over.

By me princes rule, and nobles. --Prov. viii. 16.

We subdue and rule over all other creatures. --Ray.

2. (Law) To lay down and settle a rule or order of court; to decide an incidental point; to enter a rule. --Burril. Bouvier.

3. (Com.) To keep within a (certain) range for a time; to be in general, or as a rule; as, prices ruled lower yesterday than the day before.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : rule
Spanish: gobierno,
German: die Herrschaft,
Japanese: 統治
More Translations »

rule  (n.)
c.1225, "principle or maxim governing conduct," from O.Fr. riule, from V.L. *regula, from L. regula "straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern," related to regere "to rule, straighten, guide" (see right). Replaced O.E. wealdan. Meaning "regulation governing play of a game, etc." is from 1697. Phrase rule of thumb first attested 1692. Rule of law "supremacy of impartial and well-defined laws to any individual's power" is from 1883. Meaning "Strip used for making straight lines" is recorded from 1340. Typography sense is attested from 1683.

rule  (v.)
c.1225, "to control, guide, direct," from O.Fr. riuler, from L. regulare. Legal sense is recorded from 1425 (ruling "judicial decision" is from 1560). Ruler "one who rules" is recorded from c.1375; meaning "strip used for making straight lines" is c.1400 (see rule (n.)). "Rule Brittania," patriotic song, is from 1740.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: rule
Function: noun
1 a : a prescribed guide for conduct or action b : a regulating principle or precept
2 a : an order or directive issued by a court in a particular proceeding esp. upon petition of a party to the proceeding that commands an officer or party to perform an act or show cause why an act should not be performed rule directing the district court to show cause why its ruling should not be vacated —People v. District Court, 797 Pacific Reporter, Second Series 1259 (1990)> b : a usually judicially promulgated regulation having the force of law that governs judicial practice or procedure <rules of evidence> <rules of appellate procedure> —see also RULE OF COURT c : RULE OF LAW 1
3 : all or part of a statement (as a regulation) by an administrative agency that has general or particular applicability and future effect and that is designed to implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy or that describes the organization, procedure, or practice of the agency itself rule subject to statutory notice and comment requirements for informal rulemaking>
4 a : a regulation or bylaw governing procedure or conduct in a body, organization, institution, or proceeding b : a resolution of a legislative rules committee setting forth the terms for consideration of a particular bill by the entire body
5 : the exercise of authority or control rule> —see also HOME RULE, RULE OF LAW 2

Main Entry: rule
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: ruled; rul·ing
transitive verb 1 : to exercise authority or power over
2 : to determine and declare authoritatively; especially : to command or determine judicially <ruled the evidence inadmissible> intransitive verb 1 : to exercise supreme authority
2 : to lay down a rule or ruling <ruled in favor of the plaintiff>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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rule (r&oomacr;l)
n.

  1. A usual, customary, or generalized course of action or behavior.
  2. A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases; a standard.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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rule

In addition to the idioms beginning with rule, also see as a rule; exception proves the rule; ground rules.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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