rule

noun
/ɹuːl/

A regulation, law, guideline.

Example

“All participants must adhere to the rules.”

Other meanings

A regulating principle.
The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.

Synonyms

regulation

Example sentences

“I don't understand the rules completely.”
Tatoeba · ddnktr · CC0
“As a rule, governments are worse than their peoples.”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0
“Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.”
Tatoeba · hecko2 · CC0

Word history

From Latin "regula" (straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern).

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “rule” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.