a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"
Used in a Sentence
rule
How to use rule in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for rule.
Editorial note
"He did so by applying the "rule of lenity," which requires "penal laws .
Examples11
Definitions19
Parts of speech2
Quick take
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of rule gathered in one view.
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"
prescribed guide for conduct or action
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for rule.
noun
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"
See also: regulation
noun
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"
See also: convention, normal, pattern, formula
noun
prescribed guide for conduct or action
See also: prescript
noun
(linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice
noun
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"
See also: principle
noun
the duration of a monarch's or government's power; "during the rule of Elizabeth"
noun
dominance or power through legal authority; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar"
See also: dominion
noun
directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess"
noun
any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order; "the rule of St. Dominic"
noun
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"
See also: principle
noun
(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"
See also: formula
noun
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
See also: ruler
verb
exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"
See also: govern
verb
decide with authority; "The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed"
See also: decree
verb
be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood"
See also: predominate, dominate, reign, prevail
verb
decide on and make a declaration about; "find someone guilty"
See also: find
verb
have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac
verb
mark or draw with a ruler; "rule the margins"
verb
keep in check; "rule one's temper"
Example sentences
"He did so by applying the "rule of lenity," which requires "penal laws .
If you start to code as if it were a universal significant-newline rule, you will get into trouble.
The contest limitations rule out most of the likely attack vectors for breaking the protocol in the real world.
And you still haven't learnt the first rule of kernel maintenance?> If a change results in user programs breaking, it's a bug in the kernel.
The worst part is here:> Notably, a much stricter rule was set for US government communications found in the raw intelligence.
If you have employees, pay them and get them off your books first; employee wages are, depending on the state you're in, the one likely exception to that rule.
I would yell at an airman that would get up his chair, walk to the center map and with his rule, measure the distance in miles between the hospital landing pad and the strike.
As the industrial revolution happened, this rule was relaxed, because as it turns out it's impossible to make industry that doesn't pollute.
We need to add a new rule to the political rulebook that she's playing by. Ending her career is necessary to send a lesson to every other prosecutor who sees a guy like Aaron the way a housecat sees a cornered rat.
Aside from being juggled around as an employee, being given work on front-end, back-end, low-level, and high-level tasks, I was lectured on Facebook's rules of the road: Generate lots of diffs!
" After several weeks of complying with this rule, the relationships I developed thus far in the company weakened and essentially evaporated.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use rule in a sentence?
"He did so by applying the "rule of lenity," which requires "penal laws .
What does rule mean?
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"
What part of speech is rule?
rule is commonly used as noun, verb.