What does "ordinance" mean?
A local law, passed by e.g. a city.
Ordinance
/ˈɔːdɪnəns/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A local law, passed by e.g. a city.
- Grammar: ordinance is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: regulation, act, act against, appointment.
- Useful contrasts: anarchy, customary laws, lawlessness.
- Usage evidence: The turning point for the Karen meme, Schimkowitz says, came in May when a woman called the police after a Black birdwatcher in New York’s Central Park asked her to put a leash on her dog in keeping with a local ordinance.
How to use "ordinance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ordinance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ordinance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ordinance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ordinance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ordinance" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "regulation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ordinance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A local law, passed by e.g. a city. US
"Enactive. Expositive. / Art. 57. XIII 2. The Registrative, or say Recordative: exercised, by the arrangements and operations, by which, in conformity to corresponding ordinances and mandates, the accounts, given at different periods by the exercise of the statistic function, are kept in contiguity, and in a regular series, for the purpose of reference and comparison."
- 2 the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders wordnet
- 3 An edict or decree, authoritative order.; Prior to the Third English Civil War, a decree of Parliament. England
- 4 a statute enacted by a city government wordnet
- 5 An edict or decree, authoritative order.; Detailed legislation that translates the broad principles of the university's charter and statutes into practical effect. Commonwealth, UK
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 an authoritative command wordnet
- 7 An edict or decree, authoritative order.; A law enacted by the Hong Kong Legislative Council. Hong-Kong
- 8 An edict or decree, authoritative order.; A temporary legislation promulgated by the president on the recommendation of the cabinet. India, Pakistan
- 9 A religious practice or ritual prescribed by a church.
- 10 Alternative form of ordnance (“military equipment, especially artillery”). alt-of, alternative, proscribed
"[T]he ſayd gunnes beeing able to hurt but a ſmall diſtance off, and the Iaponians being furniſhed with bꝛazen oꝛdinance vnknowen vnto the Corayans, they pꝛeſently dꝛaue them from their walles, […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The turning point for the Karen meme, Schimkowitz says, came in May when a woman called the police after a Black birdwatcher in New York’s Central Park asked her to put a leash on her dog in keeping with a local ordinance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ordinance"?
Common synonyms include: regulation, act, act against, appointment, bill, brevet.
How do you use "ordinance" in a sentence?
The turning point for the Karen meme, Schimkowitz says, came in May when a woman called the police after a Black birdwatcher in New York’s Central Park asked her to put a leash on her dog in keeping with a local ordinance.
How do you pronounce "ordinance"?
Pronounced /ˈɔːdɪnəns/.
Etymology
From Middle English ordinaunce (ca. 1300), from Old French ordenance (“decree, command”) (modern French ordonnance), from Medieval Latin ordinantia, from ordinans, the present participle of ordino (“put in order”) (whence ordain). Doublet of ordonnance.