rule

(ro͞ol)

a. Governing power or its possession or use; authority.

b. The duration of such power.

a. 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.

b. The body of regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for governing the conduct of its members.

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

a. A court decision serving as a precedent for subsequent cases: the Miranda rule.

b. A legal doctrine or principle.

c. A court order.

d. A minor regulation or law.

e. A statute or regulation governing the court process: rule of procedure; rule of evidence.

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: rule a kingdom.

a. To have a powerful influence over; dominate: "Many found the lanky westerner naive, and supposed that he would be ruled by one of his more commanding cabinet officers" (William Marvel).

b. To be a preeminent or dominant factor in: "It was a place where ... middle-class life was ruled by a hankering for all things foreign" (Amitav Ghosh).

3. To decide or declare authoritatively or judicially; decree: The judges ruled that the answer was acceptable. The police ruled the death a homicide. The law was ruled unconstitutional. See Synonyms at decide.

a. To mark with straight parallel lines.

b. 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:

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:

as a rule

In 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.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ruled

(ruːld)

adj

having straight lines drawn on

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

ruled - subject to a ruling authority; "the ruled mass"

subordinate - subject or submissive to authority or the control of another; "a subordinate kingdom"

Translations

مُسَطَّر

linkovaný

linieret

liniert

pautado

ligné

vonalazott

línustrikaîur

çizgili

划线的

ruled

[ruːld] ADJ [paper] → de rayas, pautado

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ruled

[ˈruːld] adj [paper] → réglé(e)rule of law n
the rule of law → l'autorité f de la loi

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ruled

[ruːld] adj (paper) → vergato/a, a righe

rule

(ruːl) noun

1. government. under foreign rule.

2. a regulation or order. school rules.

3. what usually happens or is done; a general principle. He is an exception to the rule that fat people are usually happy.

4. a general standard that guides one's actions. I make it a rule never to be late for appointments.

5. a marked strip of wood, metal etc for measuring. He measured the windows with a rule.

verb

1. to govern. The king ruled (the people) wisely.

2. to decide officially. The judge ruled that the witness should be heard.

3. to draw (a straight line). He ruled a line across the page.

ruled adjective

having straight lines drawn across. ruled paper.

ˈruler noun

1. a person who governs. the ruler of the state.

2. a long narrow piece of wood, plastic etc for drawing straight lines. I can't draw straight lines without a ruler.

ˈruling adjective

governing. the ruling party.

noun

an official decision. The judge gave his ruling.

as a rule

usually. I don't go out in the evening as a rule.

rule off

to draw a line in order to separate. He ruled off the rest of the page.

rule out

to leave out; not to consider. We mustn't rule out the possibility of bad weather.