rule (r l)n. 1. a. Governing power or its possession or use; authority. b. The duration of such power. 2. 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 order limited in application to a specific case. b. 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. 4. a. To mark with straight parallel lines. b. To mark (a straight line), as with a ruler. v.intr. Phrasal Verb: 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! rule out Idiom: 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. 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 r  gula, rod, principle; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]rul  a·ble adj. |
rule
Noun
1. a statement of what is allowed, for example in a game or procedure
2. a customary form or procedure: he has his own rule: be firm, be clear, but never be rude
3. the rule the common order of things: humanitarian gestures were more the exception than the rule
4. the exercise of governmental authority or control: the rule of President Marcos
5. the period of time in which a monarch or government has power: four decades of Communist rule
6. a device with a straight edge for guiding or measuring: a slide rule
7. Printing a long thin line or dash
8. Christianity a systematic body of laws and customs followed by members of a religious order
9. Law an order by a court or judge
10. as a rule usually
Verb
[ruling, ruled]
1. to govern (people or a political unit)
2. to be pre-eminent or superior
3. to be customary or prevalent: chaos ruled as the scene turned into one of total confusion
4. to decide authoritatively: the judges ruled that men could be prosecuted for rape offences against their wives
5. to mark with straight parallel lines or one straight line
6. to restrain or control [Old French riule]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  rule - a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"concept, conception, construct - an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances limitation, restriction - a principle that limits the extent of something; "I am willing to accept certain restrictions on my movements" guidepost, rule of thumb, guideline - a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior cy pres, cy pres doctrine, rule of cy pres - a rule that when literal compliance is impossible the intention of a donor or testator should be carried out as nearly as possible working principle, working rule - a rule that is adequate to permit work to be done |
| 2. |  rule - something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors"practice - knowledge of how something is usually done; "it is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner" mores - (sociology) the conventions that embody the fundamental values of a group code of behavior, code of conduct - a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group universal - a behavioral convention or pattern characteristic of all members of a particular culture or of all human beings; "some form of religion seems to be a human universal" | |
| 3. |  rule - prescribed guide for conduct or actionbylaw - a rule adopted by an organization in order to regulate its own affairs and the behavior of its members rubric - an authoritative rule of conduct or procedure parliamentary law, parliamentary procedure, rules of order, order - a body of rules followed by an assembly rule of evidence - (law) a rule of law whereby any alleged matter of fact that is submitted for investigation at a judicial trial is established or disproved Miranda rule - the rule that police (when interrogating you after an arrest) are obliged to warn you that anything you say may be used as evidence and to read you your constitutional rights (the right to a lawyer and the right to remain silent until advised by a lawyer) golden rule - any important rule; "the golden rule of teaching is to be clear" GIGO - (computer science) a rule stating that the quality of the output is a function of the quality of the input; put garbage in and you get garbage out dictate - an authoritative rule ordinance, regulation - an authoritative rule canon - a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy; "the neoclassical canon"; "canons of polite society" etiquette - rules governing socially acceptable behavior communications protocol, protocol - (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data instruction, direction - a message describing how something is to be done; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" | |
| 4. | rule - (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice concept, conception, construct - an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances linguistics - the scientific study of language linguistic universal, universal - (linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages grammatical rule, rule of grammar - a linguistic rule for the syntax of grammatical utterances morphological rule, rule of morphology - a linguistic rule for the formation of words | |
| 5. |  rule - a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"generalisation, generality, generalization - an idea or conclusion having general application; "he spoke in broad generalities" pillar - a fundamental principle or practice; "science eroded the pillars of superstition" yang - the bright positive masculine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology; "yin and yang together produce everything that comes into existence" yin - the dark negative feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology; "the interaction of yin and yang maintains the harmony of the universe" feng shui - rules in Chinese philosophy that govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of yin and yang and the flow of energy (qi); the favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into consideration in designing and siting buildings and graves and furniture | |
| 6. | rule - the duration of a monarch's or government's power; "during the rule of Elizabeth" duration, continuance - the period of time during which something continues regency - the period of time during which a regent governs | |
| 7. |  rule - dominance or power through legal authority; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar"ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, dominance, control - the state that exists when one person or group has power over another; "her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her" paramountcy - the state of being paramount; the highest rank or authority raj - British dominion over India (1757-1947) sovereignty, reign - royal authority; the dominion of a monarch suzerainty - the position or authority of a suzerain; "under the suzerainty of..." | |
| 8. | rule - directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess" instruction, direction - a message describing how something is to be done; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" ground rule - (baseball) a special rule (as in baseball) dealing with situations that arise due to the nature of the playing grounds | |
| 9. | rule - any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order; "the rule of St. Dominic" instruction, direction - a message describing how something is to be done; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" | |
| 10. | rule - a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields" law of nature, law - a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature; "the laws of thermodynamics" Gestalt law of organization, Gestalt principle of organization - a principle of Gestalt psychology that identifies factors leading to particular forms of perceptual organization Le Chatelier principle, Le Chatelier's law, Le Chatelier's principle, Le Chatelier-Braun principle - the principle that if any change is imposed on a system that is in equilibrium then the system tends to adjust to a new equilibrium counteracting the change Gresham's Law - (economics) the principle that when two kinds of money having the same denominational value are in circulation the intrinsically more valuable money will be hoarded and the money of lower intrinsic value will circulate more freely until the intrinsically more valuable money is driven out of circulation; bad money drives out good; credited to Sir Thomas Gresham mass-energy equivalence - (physics) the principle that a measured quantity of mass is equivalent (according to relativity theory) to a measured quantity of energy Naegele's rule - rule for calculating an expected delivery date; subtract three months from the first day of the last menstrual period and add seven days to that date law of parsimony, Occam's Razor, Ockham's Razor, principle of parsimony - the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred principle of equivalence - (physics) the principle that an observer has no way of distinguishing whether his laboratory is in a uniform gravitational field or is in an accelerated frame of reference principle of liquid displacement - (hydrostatics) the volume of a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the volume of the displaced fluid Huygens' principle of superposition, principle of superposition - the displacement of any point due to the superposition of wave systems is equal to the sum of the displacements of the individual waves at that point; "the principle of superposition is the basis of the wave theory of light" principle of superposition, superposition principle, superposition - (geology) the principle that in a series of stratified sedimentary rocks the lowest stratum is the oldest mass action, mass-action principle - (neurology) the principle that the cortex of the brain operates as a coordinated system with large masses of neural tissue involved in all complex functioning localisation, localisation of function, localisation principle, localization of function, localization principle, localization - (physiology) the principle that specific functions have relatively circumscribed locations in some particular part or organ of the body | |
| 11. | rule - (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems; "he determined the upper bound with Descartes' rule of signs"; "he gave us a general formula for attacking polynomials" procedure, process - a particular course of action intended to achieve a result; "the procedure of obtaining a driver's license"; "it was a process of trial and error" metarule - a rule that describes how other rules should be used (as in AI) algorithm, algorithmic program, algorithmic rule - a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem heuristic, heuristic program, heuristic rule - a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem recursion - (mathematics) an expression such that each term is generated by repeating a particular mathematical operation math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement | |
| 12. |  rule - 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 lengthscarpenter's rule - a rule used by a carpenter foot rule - a ruler one foot long measuring rod, measuring stick, measure - measuring instrument having a sequence of marks at regular intervals; used as a reference in making measurements meterstick, metrestick - a rule one meter long (usually marked off in centimeters and millimeters) yard measure, yardstick - a ruler or tape that is three feet long | |
| Verb | 1. | rule - exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?" control, command - exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces" throne - sit on the throne as a ruler misgovern - govern badly dictate - rule as a dictator reign - have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time" |
| 2. | rule - decide with authority; "The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed" decide, make up one's mind, determine - reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" | |
| 3. | rule - be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood" override - prevail over; "health considerations override financial concerns" overarch - be central or dominant; "This scene overarches the entire first act" outbalance, overbalance, preponderate, outweigh - weigh more heavily; "these considerations outweigh our wishes" | |
| 4. | rule - decide on and make a declaration about; "find someone guilty" | |
| 5. | rule - have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac | |
| 6. | rule - mark or draw with a ruler; "rule the margins" draw - represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface; "She drew an elephant"; "Draw me a horse" | |
| 7. | rule - keep in check; "rule one's temper" |
rule
noun 4. custom, procedure, practice, routine, form, condition, tradition, habit, convention, wont, order or way of things
noun 5. government, power, control, authority, influence, administration, direction, leadership, command, regime, empire, reign, sway, domination, jurisdiction, supremacy, mastery, dominion, ascendancy, mana N.Z.
verb 6. govern, lead, control, manage, direct, guide, regulate, administer, oversee, preside over, have power over, reign over, command over, have charge of
verb 7. reign, govern, be in power, hold sway, wear the crown, be in authority, be number one (informal)
verb 9. decree, find, decide, judge, establish, determine, settle, resolve, pronounce, lay down, adjudge
verb 10. be prevalent, prevail, predominate, hold sway, be customary, preponderate, obtain as a rule usually, generally, mainly, normally, on the whole, for the most part, ordinarily, customarily
Translations
rule [ruːl] n (= norm) → norma, costumbre f (= regulation, ruler); regla (= government); dominio (= dominion etc): under British rule → bajo el dominio británico
vi → gobernar;
(LAW) → fallar;
as a rule → por regla general, generalmente;
by rule of thumb → por experiencia;
majority rule (POL) → gobierno mayoritario
rule out vt → excluir
rule [ruːl] n → règle f (= regulation); règlement m (= government); autorité f, gouvernement m (= dominion etc);
under British rule → sous l'autorité britannique vt [+ country] → gouverner [+ person]; dominer (= decide); décider
(Law);
as a rule → normalement, en règle générale
rule out vt → exclure;
murder cannot be ruled out → l'hypothèse d'un meurtre ne peut être exclue
rule [ruːl] n (norm) → Regel f;
(regulation) → Vorschrift f;
(government) → Herrschaft f (also: ruler) → Lineal nt
vi (monarch etc) → herrschen;
as a rule of thumb → als Faustregel;
under British rule → unter britischer Herrschaft;
to rule that ... (umpire, judge etc) → entscheiden, dass ...
rule out rule vt (possibility etc) → ausschließen;
rule [ruːl] n (gen) → regola (= regulation); regolamento, regola (= government); governo (= dominion etc): under British rule → sotto la sovranità britannica
(LAW) → dichiarare;
to rule against/in favour of/on (LAW) → pronunciarsi a sfavore di/in favore di/su;
it's against the rules → è contro le regole or il regolamento;
as a rule → normalmente, di regola
rule out vt → escludere;
n rule [ruːl]
1 government under foreign rule. bestuur حُكْم управление vláda styre die Herrschaft διακυβέρνηση, κυριαρχία, εξουσία gobierno võim قانون valta autorité שִלטוֹן सिद्धांत, नियम vlast uralom pemerintahan stjórn governo 統治 통치 valdžia, valdymas valdīšana; vara peraturan bestuur styre, regjering panowanie governo stăpânire правление; владычество vláda uprava vladavina styre, välde การปกครอง yönetim, idare 統治 правління; влада حکومت sự thống trị 统治
2 a regulation or order school rules. reël قانون правило řád; předpis regel; -regel die Ordnung κανονισμός regla, norma, reglamento eeskiri مقررات sääntö règlement כְּלָל नियमावली pravilo szabály peraturan regla regola, regolamento 規則 규칙, 규정 taisyklė, nurodymas likumi, noteikumi peraturan sekolah regel regel; vedtekt przepis regra regulă правило poriadok; predpis predpis pravila regel, bestämmelse, föreskrift ข้อบังคับ kural, yönetmelik 規則(定) правило قانون quy tắc 规则（定）
3 what usually happens or is done; a general principle He is an exception to the rule that fat people are usually happy. reël قاعِدَه принцип pravidlo regel die Regel κανόνας regla seaduspärasus قاعده sääntö règle כְּלָל शासन načelo, pravilo szabály kebiasaan regla, lögmál regola きまり 통례, 정칙 taisyklė, norma likums; norma adat, selalunya regel regel reguła regra regulă правило pravidlo pravilo pravilo regel หลักทั่วไป kural 規律 принцип; норма اصول lệ thường 规律
4 a general standard that guides one's actions I make it a rule never to be late for appointments. reël, beginsel قانون، نِظام правило zásada regel die Regel αρχή norma reegel قانون sääntö règle כְּלָל शासनकाल pravilo szokás prinsip regla, venja regola 習慣 (행동의) 원칙 nuostata paradums; princips ketetapan stelregel regel, god vane zasada regra obicei принцип zásada pravilo pravilo regel หลักเกณฑ์ âdet, usul 準則 правило ضابطہ nguyên tắc 准则
5 a marked strip of wood, metal etc for measuring He measured the windows with a rule. liniaal مِسْطَرَه линия pravítko, metr lineal das Lineal μέτρο, χάρακας regla joonlaud خط کش viivoitin règle סַרגֵל मापदंड ravnalo vonalzó meteran reglustika, tommustokkur regolo 定規 자, 척도 metras lineāls; metramērs pengukur meetlat linjal, tommestokk miara, przymiar régua линейка skladací meter ravnilo, merilo lenjir tumstock ไม้บรรทัด cetvel 尺子 масштабна лінійка مسطر thước đo 尺子
v
1 to govern The king ruled (the people) wisely. regeer oor يَحْكُم управлявам vládnout regere regieren κυβερνώ, άρχω reinar, gobernar valitsema حکومت کردن hallita gouverner לִשלוֹט शासन करना, राज्य करना vladati uralkodik (vkin) memerintah stjórna governare 統治する 다스리다, 통치하다 valdyti, viešpatauti valdīt memerintah regeren styre, herske over, lede rządzić governar a conduce управлять vládnuť vladati vladati regera [] ปกครอง yönetmek, idare etmek 冶(管)理 керувати, правити حکومت کرنا cai trị 冶（管）理
2 to decide officially The judge ruled that the witness should be heard. beslis يُقَرِّر постановявам rozhodnout erklære entscheiden αποφασίζω, ορίζω decidir, fallar (jurídico) otsustama حکم دادن؛ رای دادن دادگاه määrätä décider לִפסוֹק निर्णय करना, फैसला करना donijeti službenu odluku dönt memutuskan dengan resmi úrskurða decidere 決定する 결정하다, 판결하다 nuspręsti noteikt; izlemt; paziņot lēmumu memutuskan beslissen avgi en kjennelse zawyrokować decidir a decide постановлять rozhodnúť odločiti presuditi fastställa, avgöra, bestämma ตัดสิน karar vermek 裁決 постановляти فیصلہ کرنا phán quyết 裁决
3 to draw (a straight line) He ruled a line across the page. trek 'n streep يُسَطِّرُ начертавам narýsovat tegne (med lineal) ziehen τραβώ (γραμμή), χαρακώνω trazar (con una regla) joont tõmbama خط کشیدن vetää viiva à la tirer règle לְסַרטֵט लाइन खींचना podvući crtu (meg)vonalaz (papírt) membuat garis strika (tracciare una riga) 線を引く (선을) 긋다 nubrėžti novilkt (ar lineālu) menggaris trekken linjere, trekke en strek med linjal narysować (linię) traçar a trage o linie cu rigla линовать narysovať potegniti črto nacrtati dra en linje med linjal ขีดเส้น çizmek 劃直線 лініювати, графити سطر کھینچنا kẻ dòng 划直线
adj ruled
having straight lines drawn across ruled paper. met lyne مُسَطَّر на линии linkovaný linieret liniert με γραμμές (papel) pautado, rayado, a rayas jooneline خط دار viivoitettu ligné שוּרוֹת लाइनदार, रेखांकित pravilnik vonalazott bergaris línustrikaður a righe 線入りの 줄을 그은 liniuotas līniju-; līnijots lurus gelinieerd linjert liniowy pautado liniat линованный linkovaný črtan sa linijama linjerad ที่มีเส้น çizgili 劃線的 розграфлений ایک ساتھ سیدھی لکیریں کھنچی ہوءی có dòng kẻ 划线的
n ruler
1 a person who governs the ruler of the state. hoof حاكِم владетел vládce, panovník hersker der/die Herrscher(in) κυβερνήτης, άρχοντας gobernante, dirigente valitseja فرمانروا hallitsija souverain/-aine; chef (d'Etat) שָׁלִיט शासक vladar uralkodó penguasa stjórnandi governante, sovrano 支配者 통치자, 지배자 valdovas valdnieks pemerintah heerser hersker, leder, statssjef władca governante suveran; şef de stat правитель vládca, panovník vladar vladar härskare, styresman ผู้ปกครอง yönetici 統治者 правитель حکمراں người cai trị 统治者
2 a long narrow piece of wood, plastic etc for drawing straight lines I can't draw straight lines without a ruler. liniaal مِسْطَرَه линия pravítko lineal das Lineal χάρακας regla joonlaud خط کش viivoitin règle סַרגֵל पटरी, चपती, रेखनी ravnalo vonalzó penggaris reglustika riga 定規 자 liniuotė lineāls pembaris liniaal linjal linijka régua riglă линейка pravítko ravnilo lenjir linjal ไม้บรรทัด cetvel 直尺 лінійка مسطر thước kẻ 直尺
adj ruling
governing the ruling party. regerend حاكِم управляващ vládnoucí regerende herrschend κυβερνών gobernante, reinante, dirigente, en el poder valitsev حکمران vallassa oleva au pouvoir, régnant הַשוֹלֵט प्रबल, प्रधान, प्रमुख, शासक, प्रचलित vladajući uralkodó memerintah stjórnandi, ráðandi dominante, regnante 支配する 지배하는, 집권한 valdantysis valdošs yang memerintah heersend herskende rządzący no poder de guvernământ; conducător правящий vládnuci vladajoč vladajući regerande, härskande ซึ่งปกครอง yöneten, idare eden 統治的 панівний, правлячий حکمرانی cầm quyền 统治的
n
an official decision The judge gave his ruling. beslissing قَرار، حُكْم постановление rozhodnutí, nález afsige kendelse die Entscheidung επίσημη απόφαση fallo, decisión otsus حکم رای päätös décision, jugement פְּסִיקָה निर्णय, आदेश, व्यवस्था, रेखा, रेखाए, रेखण, रेखाकन odluka rendelkezés keputusan úrskurður delibera, decisione 裁決 판결 nutartis, sprendimas lēmums; spriedums keputusan beslissing kjennelse orzeczenie decisão decizie, hotărâre постановление nariadenie; rozhodnutie odlok, razsodba presuda utslag, avgörande คำวินิจฉัย yargı, hüküm 裁定 постанова; ухвала فیصلہ bản án 裁定
as a rule
usually I don't go out in the evening as a rule. in die reël عادَةً обикновено zpravidla som regel in der Regel κατά κανόνα por norma/regla general, por lo general tavaliselt معمولا yleensä en règle générale כִּכְלָל साधारणतया, सामान्यतया u pravilu rendszerint biasanya venjulega, yfirleitt in genere ふつうは 대체로, 일반적으로 paprastai, dažniausiai parasti kebiasaan gewoonlijk som regel z reguły regra geral de regulă как правило spravidla praviloma po pravilu som regel ตามปกติ genellikle 通常 як правило ضابطے کے لحاظ سے thông thường 通常
rule off
to draw a line in order to separate He ruled off the rest of the page. skei يَرْسُمُ خَطّاً فاصِلا разделям oddělit linkou adskille med en streg durch eine Linie teilen χωρίζω με γραμμή dividir/separar con una línea joonega eraldama ته صفحه را بستن erottaa viivalla tirer une ligne (sur, sous) לְהַפריד בְּקָו के किनारे लाइन खींचना izbaciti, isključiti vonalat húz membuat garis draga línu (til að afmarka) (separare con una riga) 線で区切る 줄을 그어 가르다 atskirti linija nodalīt ar lī-niju menggaris met een lijn afsluiten skille av med en strek podkreślić, oddzielić linią separar a trage o linie (pe/sub) отделять чертой oddeliť čiarou potegniti črto (pod, nad) odvojiti linijom avgränsa, skilja av ขีดเส้นขั้น çizgiyle ayırmak 劃線隔開... відокремити рискою علیحدہ کرنے کے لیے لکیر کھینچنا kẻ một đường để phân chia 划线隔开...
rule out
to leave out; not to consider We mustn't rule out the possibility of bad weather. vergeet, oor die hoof sien يَسْتَبْعِد، يَسْتَثْني изключвам vyloučit udelukke ausschließen αποκλείω excluir, descartar välistama غیر محتمل پنداشتن sulkea pois exclure לְבַטֵל निकाल देना, नियम विरूद्ध घोषित करना isključiti kizár mengabaikan útiloka escludere 除外する ...을 제외시키다, 배제하다 atmesti atmest; neņemt vērā tidak mengendahkan uitsluiten utelukke wykluczyć de lado pôr a exclude исключать vylúčiť izključiti izostaviti utesluta ไม่ยอมรับ göz önüne almamak, hesaba katmamak 劃掉 виключати نامنظور کرنا loại trừ 划掉
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