rule (rules plural & 3rd person present) (ruling present participle) (ruled past tense & past participle )
1 n-count Rules are instructions that tell you what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do.
oft N of n, N num
...a thirty-two-page pamphlet explaining the rules of basketball..., Strictly speaking, this was against the rules.
2 n-count A rule is a statement telling people what they should do in order to achieve success or a benefit of some kind.
oft N for/of n
An important rule is to drink plenty of water during any flight...
3 n-count The rulesof something such as a language or a science are statements that describe the way that things usually happen in a particular situation.
oft N of n
...according to the rules of quantum theory.
4 n-sing If something is the rule, it is the normal state of affairs.
the N
However, for many Americans today, weekend work has unfortunately become the rule rather than the exception.
5 verb The person or group that rules a country controls its affairs.
For four centuries, he says, foreigners have ruled Angola... V n
He ruled for eight months. V
...the long line of feudal lords who had ruled over this land. V over n
Rule is also a noun., n-uncount usu supp N
...demands for an end to one-party rule.
6 verb If something rules your life, it influences or restricts your actions in a way that is not good for you.
Scientists have always been aware of how fear can rule our lives and make us ill. V n
7 verb When someone in authority rules that something is true or should happen, they state that they have officially decided that it is true or should happen.
FORMAL
(=pronounce)
The court ruled that laws passed by the assembly remained valid... V that
The Israeli court has not yet ruled on the case... V on n
A provincial magistrates' court last week ruled it unconstitutional... V n adj/n
The committee ruled against all-night opening mainly on safety grounds. V against n, Also V in favour of n
8 verb If you rule a straight line, you draw it using something that has a straight edge.
...a ruled grid of horizontal and vertical lines. V-ed, Also V n
9
→
golden rule
→
ground rule
→
ruling
→
slide rule
10 If you say that something happens as a rule, you mean that it usually happens.
as a rule phrase PHR with cl
(=generally, usually)
As a rule, however, such attacks have been aimed at causing damage rather than taking life.
11 If someone in authority bends the rules or stretches the rules, they do something even though it is against the rules.
bend the rules/stretch the rules phrase V inflects
There is a particular urgency in this case, and it would help if you could bend the rules.
12 A rule of thumb is a rule or principle that you follow which is not based on exact calculations, but rather on experience.
rule of thumb phrase rule inflects
A good rule of thumb is that a broker must generate sales of ten times his salary if his employer is to make a profit...
13 If workers work to rule, they protest by working according to the rules of their job without doing any extra work or taking any new decisions.
(BRIT)
work to rule phrase V inflects
Nurses are continuing to work to rule. rule in phrasal verb If you say that you are not ruling in a particular course of action, you mean that you have not definitely decided to take that action.
usu with brd neg
We have made no decisions on restructuring yet. We are ruling nothing out and we are ruling nothing in... V n P
We must, as I said, take care not to rule in or rule out any one solution. V P n (not pron) rule out
1 phrasal verb If you rule out a course of action, an idea, or a solution, you decide that it is impossible or unsuitable.
The Prime Minister is believed to have ruled out cuts in child benefit or pensions... V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb If something rules out a situation, it prevents it from happening or from being possible. A serious car accident in 1986 ruled out a permanent future for him in farming. V P n (not pron) rule out of phrasal verb If someone rules you out of a contest or activity, they say that you cannot be involved in it. If something rules you out of a contest or activity, it prevents you from being involved in it. He has ruled himself out of the world championships next year in Stuttgart... V n P P n
direct rule
Direct rule is a system in which a central government rules an area which has had its own parliament or law-making organization in the past. n-uncount
golden rule (golden rules plural )A golden rule is a principle you should remember because it will help you to be successful. n-count
Hanson's golden rule is to add value to whatever business he buys.
ground rule (ground rules plural )The ground rulesfor something are the basic principles on which future action will be based. n-count usu pl, oft N for/of n
The panel says the ground rules for the current talks should be maintained.
home rule
If a country or region has home rule, it has its own independent government and laws. n-uncount
rule book (rule books plural )
1 n-count A rule book is a book containing the official rules for a particular game, job, or organization.
...one of the most serious offences mentioned in the Party rule book.
2 n-count If you say that someone is doing something by the rule book, you mean that they are doing it in the normal, accepted way.
the N
This was not the time to take risks; he knew he should play it by the rule book.
rule of law
Therule of law refers to a situation in which the people in a society obey its laws and enable it to function properly.
FORMAL n-sing usu the N
I am confident that we can restore peace, stability and respect for the rule of law.
self-rule
Self-rule is the same as self-government. n-uncount
The agreement gives the territory limited self-rule.
slide rule (slide rules plural )A slide rule is an instrument that you use for calculating numbers. It looks like a ruler and has a middle part that slides backwards and forwards. n-count
