rule
Plural
rules
1
instructions or guidelines that determine how a game or sport is played
- The rules of chess dictate how each piece moves.
- Players must follow the rules to avoid penalties.
- The official rules prohibit touching the ball with hands.
- Rules ensure fairness in board games.
- The game has rules for scoring points.
Synonyms:
2
a measuring tool, typically a strip of wood, metal, or plastic, with a straight edge used for drawing lines or measuring lengths
- The carpenter measured the wood with a steel rule.
- A plastic rule helped her keep the design precise.
- Architects rely on rules for accurate layouts.
- The student used a rule to draw the graph.
- The tailor measured the fabric with a flexible rule.
Synonyms:
3
a principle or standard that ordinarily governs behavior or conduct
- Manners are guided by unwritten social rules.
- Honesty is a fundamental rule in most workplaces.
- A basic rule of etiquette is to greet people politely.
- The club has strict rules for membership.
- The rules of conduct were explained at orientation.
4
something regarded as a normative example or standard model
- His behavior set a rule for how employees should act.
- This case is the rule rather than the exception.
- The teacher used her method as a rule for the class.
- In science, most theories follow the rule established by earlier findings.
- The rule in the industry is to maintain high safety standards.
Synonyms:
5
a description or prescription of a linguistic practice
- The grammar book outlines the rules of sentence structure.
- A rule in phonology explains the pronunciation of vowels.
- Linguists study syntactic rules to understand sentence formation.
- The teacher taught the rules for forming past tense verbs.
- Morphological rules determine how words change form.
Synonyms:
6
a law or principle concerning natural phenomena
- Newton's laws are fundamental rules of physics.
- The rule of gravity governs the motion of objects.
- The chemical reaction follows a strict rule.
- Scientists observed the rule in the behavior of gases.
- The rule of nature ensures the survival of species.
Synonyms:
7
a standard procedure or formula for solving a class of mathematical problems
- The multiplication rule helps calculate probabilities.
- He applied the rule for differentiating polynomials.
- Students learned the rule for converting fractions to decimals.
- The rule simplifies solving quadratic equations.
- Using the rule, she quickly found the sum of the series.
Synonyms:
8
any systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order
- Monks live according to the Benedictine rule.
- The rule prescribes daily prayers and communal meals.
- Nuns follow the strict rule of their convent.
- The order was founded on a rule emphasizing poverty and humility.
- Each rule in the monastery guides both conduct and ritual.
9
dominance or authority exercised through legal, political, or formal power
- The country was under colonial rule for decades.
- Citizens resisted the rule of the oppressive regime.
- The mayor's rule brought stability to the city.
- Rule by decree can bypass democratic processes.
- The region experienced strict military rule.
Synonyms:
10
the period during which a monarch, leader, or government has control or authority over a country or territory
- The rule of the king lasted for over four decades.
- The country experienced peace during her rule.
- His rule brought significant changes to the economy.
- During the emperor's rule, the kingdom expanded its borders.
- The end of his rule led to a power struggle among rival factions.