| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  r l |
| NOUN: | 1a. Governing power or its possession or use; authority. b. The duration of such power. 2a. 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 (sense 2). 8. Printing A thin metal strip of various widths and designs, used to print borders or lines, as between columns. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: ruled, rul·ing, rules
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 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. 4a. To mark with straight parallel lines. b. To mark (a straight line), as with a ruler. | | INTRANSITIVE 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! | | PHRASAL VERB: | rule out 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. | | IDIOM: | as a rule In general; for the most part: As a rule, we take the bus. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English reule, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin r gula, rod, principle. See reg- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | rul a·ble —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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