What does "rule" mean?
A regulation, law, guideline.
Rule
/ɹuːl/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A regulation, law, guideline.
- Grammar: rule is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: formula, principle, regulation, a priori truth.
- Useful contrasts: isolated case, no policy, analyze sample.
- Usage evidence: I make it a rule not to watch television after nine o'clock.
How to use "rule"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rule" 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 "rule" 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 "rule" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rule" 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 "rule" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "formula" 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 "rule", 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 regulation, law, guideline. countable, uncountable
"All participants must adhere to the rules."
- 2 Revelry. obsolete
- 3 measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths wordnet
- 4 A regulating principle. countable, uncountable
"There's little can be said in 't; 'Tis against the rule of nature."
- 5 something regarded as a normative example wordnet
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control. uncountable
"Obey them that have the rule over you."
- 7 a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior wordnet
- 8 A normal condition or state of affairs. countable, uncountable
"My rule is to rise at six o'clock."
- 9 (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems wordnet
- 10 Conduct; behaviour. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"This uncivil rule; she shall know of it."
- 11 a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system wordnet
- 12 An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit. countable, uncountable
- 13 a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct wordnet
- 14 A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result. countable, uncountable
"a rule for extracting the cube root"
- 15 any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order wordnet
- 16 A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure. countable, uncountable
"As we may observe in the Works of Art, a Judicious Artist will indeed use his Eye, but he will trust only to his Rule."
- 17 prescribed guide for conduct or action wordnet
- 18 A straight line (continuous mark, as made by a pen or the like), especially one lying across a paper as a guide for writing. countable, uncountable
- 19 directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted wordnet
- 20 A thin plate of brass or other metal, of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work. countable, dated, uncountable
- 21 (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice wordnet
- 22 dominance or power through legal authority wordnet
- 23 the duration of a monarch's or government's power wordnet
Verb
- 1 To regulate, be in charge of, make decisions for, reign over. stative, transitive
"And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good."
- 2 To revel. intransitive, obsolete
- 3 keep in check wordnet
- 4 To excel. intransitive, slang, stative
"This game rules!"
- 5 decide with authority wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 To decide judicially. intransitive
"The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation."
- 7 decide on and make a declaration about wordnet
- 8 To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by universal or general consent, or by common practice. transitive
"That's a ruled case with the school-men."
- 9 mark or draw with a ruler wordnet
- 10 To mark (paper or the like) with rules (lines). transitive
- 11 exercise authority over; as of nations wordnet
- 12 be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance wordnet
- 13 have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac wordnet
- 14 be excellent or outstanding wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A town in Haskell County, Texas, United States. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I make it a rule not to watch television after nine o'clock."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rule"?
Common synonyms include: formula, principle, regulation, a priori truth, a procedure, academic policy.
How do you use "rule" in a sentence?
I make it a rule not to watch television after nine o'clock.
How do you pronounce "rule"?
Pronounced /ɹuːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English reule, rewle, rule, borrowed from Old French riule, reule, from Latin regula (“straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent. Doublet of rail, regal, regula, and rigol.
Etymology 2
From Middle English reulen, rulen, borrowed from Old French riuler, from Latin regulāre (“to regulate, rule”), from regula (“a rule”); see regular and regulate.
Etymology 3
Related to revel.