rule

noun

1. 1

   A regulation, law, guideline.

   All participants must adhere to the rules.

   You have to follow the rules to enter the qualifiers for the football tournament.

   We profess to have embraced a religion which contains the most exact rules for the government of our lives.

2. 2

   A regulating principle.

   There's little can be said in 't; 'Tis against the rule of nature.

3. 3

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

   Obey them that have the rule over you.

   His stern rule the groaning land obeyed.

4. 4

   A normal condition or state of affairs.

   My rule is to rise at six o'clock.

   As a rule, our senior editors are serious-minded.

5. 5

   obsoleteConduct; behaviour.

   This uncivil rule; she shall know of it.

6. 6

   An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit.

7. 7

   A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result.

   a rule for extracting the cube root

8. 8

   A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure.

   As we may observe in the Works of Art, a Judicious Artist will indeed use his Eye, but he will trust only to his Rule.

   It is not right to pervert the judge by moving him to anger or envy or pity—one might as well warp a carpenter's rule before using it.

9. 9

   A straight line (continuous mark, as made by a pen or the like), especially one lying across a paper as a guide for writing.

10. 10

    datedA thin plate of brass or other metal, of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.

verb

1. 1

   To regulate, be in charge of, make decisions for, reign over.

   (in dating)

   And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.

2. 2

   slangTo excel.

   This game rules!

3. 3

   To decide judicially.

   The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.

4. 4

   To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by universal or general consent, or by common practice.

   That's a ruled case with the school-men.

5. 5

   To mark (paper or the like) with rules (lines).

noun

1. 1

   obsoleteRevelry.

verb

1. 1

   obsoleteTo revel.

Forms

plural

rules

past tense

ruled

past participle

ruled

present participle

ruling

third person singular

rules