an accepted principle or instruction that states the way things are or should be done, and tells you what you are allowed or are not allowed to do
A referee must know all the rules of the game.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
noun
1 (plural rules) something that tells you what you must or must not do:
It's against the school rules to smoke.
to break a rule (= do something that you should not do)
2 (no plural) government:
The country is under military rule.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
rule
I. rule1 S1 W1 /ruːl/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑rule, ↑ruler, ↑ruling, ↑unruliness; adjective: ↑ruling, ↑unruly, ↑ruled; verb: ↑rule, ↑overrule]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: reule, from Latin regula; ⇨ ↑regular1]
1. ABOUT WHAT IS ALLOWED [countable] an official instruction that says how things must be done or what is allowed, especially in a game, organization, or job
rule of
the rules of the game
under the rules/according to the rules
Under the rules, the company must publish its annual accounts.
2. ABOUT WHAT YOU SHOULD DO [countable] what you should do in a particular situation, or a statement about this:
There are no hard and fast rules (=clear and definite rules) about what to wear to classes.
rule of
There are two basic rules of survival.
The rule is: if you feel any pain you should stop exercising immediately.
3. NORMAL/USUAL [singular] something that is normal or usually true
as a (general) rule
As a general rule most students finish their coursework by the end of May.
Early marriage used to be the rule in that part of the world.
A series of payments used to be the exception rather than the rule.
Unfortunately there is an exception to every rule.
4. GOVERNMENT [uncountable] the government of a country or area by a particular group of people or using a particular system
under ... rule
people living under communist rule
the end of colonial rule
a period of military rule
direct rule from Westminster
the restoration of majority rule (=government by the party that most people have voted for) to Northern Ireland
5. IN GRAMMAR/SCIENCE ETC [countable] a statement about what is usually allowed in a particular system, such as the grammar of a language, or a science
rule of
the rules of English punctuation
6. the rule of law a situation in which the laws of a country are obeyed:
We are here to uphold the rule of law.
7. the rules of natural justice what people believe to be right and fair:
The governor failed to observe the rules of natural justice.
8. rule of thumb a rough figure or method of calculation, based on practical experience:
As a general rule of thumb, children this age should not spend more than one hour on homework.
9. make it a rule (to do something) to try to make sure that you always do something:
I make it a rule never to mix business with pleasure.
10. FOR MEASURING [countable] old-fashioned a ↑ruler
⇨ ↑golden rule, ↑ground rules, ↑home rule, ↑slide rule, ⇨ work to rule at ↑work1(32)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ break a rule (also violate a rule formal) (=not obey it) He had clearly broken the official rules. | Any one who violates this rule will be severely punished.
▪ obey/follow a rule She wasn’t going to obey their silly rules.
▪ comply with/abide by/observe a rule formal (=obey it) All members must comply with the rules of the organization. | There is little that one country can do if another fails to abide by the rules. | We expect you to observe the general rules of conduct as set out below.
▪ stick to/go by the rules informal (=obey them) We all have to stick to the rules.
▪ make the rules I’m only an assistant manager – I don’t make the rules.
▪ the rule says ... The rule says that you must be standing inside the line.
▪ the rule stipulates that ... formal (=it says that something must be done) The rules stipulate that clubs must field the strongest team available.
▪ the rule prohibits/forbids something The rule forbids women from becoming members of the club.
▪ the rule requires (that) ... formal (=it says that people must do something) School rules required all girls to tie back their hair.
▪ the rule applies to somebody/something (=it concerns them) Everyone thinks that the rule doesn’t apply to them.
▪ play by the rules (=do what is expected and agreed) The system works well enough — as long as everyone plays by the rules.
▪ bend/stretch the rules (=allow someone to do something that is not normally allowed) They bend the rules to suit themselves.
▪ relax the rules (=make them less strict) Britain relaxed its immigration rules.
▪ tighten (up) the rules (=make them stricter) The EU has tightened the rules on the quality of drinking water.
▪ enforce a rule (=make sure that it is obeyed) The planning office does not always enforce its own rules.
▪ flout a rule (=break it, without trying to hide what you are doing) The party continues to flout its own rules.
▪ be bound by rules (=have to obey them) Solicitors are bound by strict rules that regulate their professional conduct.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + rule
▪ strict They have very strict rules about gambling.
▪ simple The rules of the game are quite simple.
▪ petty (=unreasonable rules about unimportant things) There are hundreds of petty rules.
▪ a school/prison/club etc rule He had broken one of the school rules.
▪ an unwritten rule (=a rule of behaviour that everyone in a group understands) There’s an unwritten rule that you never call an actor before 10 a.m.
▪ health and safety rules You should follow any health and safety rules which apply to your workplace.
■ phrases
▪ be against the rules (=not be allowed) It was against the rules to talk in class.
▪ the rules concerning/governing/relating to something formal (=the rules about something) the rules governing food labeling
▪ a change in the rules I didn’t realise that there had been a change in the rules.
▪ a breach of the rules formal (=something that is against the rules) a serious breach of the rules
▪ rules and regulations The government keeps introducing more and more rules and regulations.
▪ rules are rules spoken (=a rule must be obeyed) Rules are rules and you have to abide by them.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ rule an instruction that says what people are allowed to do or not allowed to do, for example in a game, school, or company: the rules of baseball | He disobeyed the school rules.
▪ law an official rule that everyone in a country, city, or state must obey: It is against the law to carry a concealed weapon. | The law requires motorcyclists to wear helmets.
▪ regulation an official rule or order, which is part of a set of rules made by a government or organization: the regulations for applying for a passport | building regulations | environmental regulations on air pollution
▪ restriction an official rule that limits what people can do: new restrictions on immigration | The government is planning to impose regulations on the amount of alcohol you can bring into the country.
▪ guidelines rules or instructions about the best way to do something: the Department of Health’s guidelines for a healthy diet | guidelines for classroom teachers
▪ code a set of rules that people or organizations agree to obey but are not forced to obey: The school has a dress code for its students. | the company’s code of conduct
▪ statute formal a law that has been officially approved by a parliament, council etc, and written down: The statute banned corporal punishment.
▪ ordinance American English a law, made by a city or town, that forbids or restricts an activity: A local ordinance limited speed in the parks to ten miles an hour.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
rule
rule [rule rules ruled ruling] noun, verb [ruːl] [ruːl]
noun
OF ACTIVITY/GAME
1. countable a statement of what may, must or must not be done in a particular situation or when playing a game
• to follow/obey/observe the rules
• It's against all rules and regulations.
• to break a rule (= not follow it)
• This explains the rules under which the library operates.
• Without unwritten rules civilized life would be impossible.
• Normal competition rules apply.
• She laid down strict rules for her tenants including prompt payment of rent.
see also ground rule
ADVICE
2. countable a statement of what you are advised to do in a particular situation
• There are no hard and fast rules for planning healthy meals.
• The first rule is to make eye contact with your interviewer.
see also golden rule
HABIT/NORMALLY TRUE
3. countable, usually singular a habit; the normal state of things; what is true in most cases
• He makes it a rule never to borrow money.
• I go to bed early as a rule.
• Cold winters here are the exception rather than the rule (= are rare).
• As a general rule vegetable oils are better for you than animal fats.
OF SYSTEM
4. countable a statement of what is possible according to a particular system, for example the grammar of a language
• the rules of grammar
GOVERNMENT/CONTROL
5. uncountable the government of a country or control of a group of people by a particular person, group or system
• under Communist/civilian/military, etc. rule
• majority rule (= government by the political party that most people have voted for)
• The 1972 act imposed direct rule from Westminster.
see also home rule
MEASURING TOOL
6. countable a measuring instrument with a straight edge
see also slide rule
more at the exception proves the rule at exception
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French reule (noun), reuler (verb), from late Latin regulare, from Latin regula ‘straight stick’.
Thesaurus:
rule noun
1. C
• Tackling a player without the ball is against the rules.
regulation • • law • • legislation • • act • • statute • • commandment •
the rules/regulations/laws on sth
against the rules/regulations/laws
obey a rule/the regulations/a law/a commandment
break a rule/regulation/law/commandment
2. U
• The country was in the process of a return to civilian rule.
control • • power • • authority • • command • |formal jurisdiction •
rule/control/power/authority/command/jurisdiction over sb/sth
be under sb's rule/control/authority/command/jurisdiction
direct rule/control/authority/command
Example Bank:
• Among her friends, casual dress and a relaxed manner are the rule.
• As a rule, hardly anybody uses this road.
• Couldn't they just bend the rules and let us in without a ticket?
• Employees are bound by rules of confidentiality.
• Follow these few simple rules, and you won't go far wrong.
• He made his children's lives a misery with all his petty rules.
• I believed I was acting within the rules.
• If he wanted a loan he would have to play by the bank's rules.
• New accounting rules come into force next year.
• Several proposed rule changes have been announced.
• Tackling a player without the ball is against the rules.
• The Internet has changed the rules of business.
• The aim is to get each member country to adhere to a single set of rules.
• The competition rules provide that a cash alternative may be given.
• The country remained under direct rule by the occupying powers.
• The existing rules allow for some flexibility.
• The music was turned off at midnight, in accordance with the rules.
• The officials went strictly by the rule book.
• The packaging does not conform to EU rules.
• The president imposed emergency rule following the riots.
• The punishment depends on how the umpire interprets the rules.
• The referee applied the rules to the letter.
• The rules keep changing.
• The rules of dating have had to be rewritten, thanks to the movies.
• The rules on claiming have been tightened up.
• The rules were drawn up to make it fair for everyone.
• The sport has strict rules for player safety.
• Their action was in breach of Stock Exchange rules.
• There are few exceptions to the general rule that bars close at midnight.
• There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing a typeface.
• There seems to be one rule for the rich and another for the poor.
• Under this rule, only full members of the club are entitled to vote.
• What are the school rules about dress?
• What is the rule for forming plurals?
• You and your flatmates should establish some ground rules.
• You don't make the rules, you know.
• You should know the rules by now.
• a society based on the rule of law
• behaviour which is outside the rules
• federal rules on campaign fund-raising
• rules limiting imports
• the lawless days of mob rule
• the rules governing the importing of livestock
• the traditional rules of grammar
• Communist/military rule
• He occasionally allowed himself to break his own rule.
• He was punished for breaking school rules.
• He's a writer who doesn't seem to know the most basic rules of English grammar.
• I make it a rule never to mix business with pleasure.
• I've made it a rule not to talk to the press.
• It was an unspoken rule in my family that my mother was always right.
• It's one of my rules not to get into debt.
• Potatoes at the front of the stall and fruit at the back— that was his golden rule.
• She laid down strict rules for her tenants including prompt payment of rent.
• The first rule of interviews is to make eye contact with the interviewer.
• The golden rule of teaching is to remember that all children learn at different rates.
• There are no hard and fast rules for planning healthy meals.
• There are several exceptions to the rule ‘i” before “e” except after “c’.
• There was a gradual process of returning the country to civilian rule.
• Without unwritten rules civilized life would be impossible.
• a return to civilian/democratic/majority rule
• colonial/British/Ottoman rule
Idioms: bend the rules ▪ play by somebody's rules ▪ play by the rules ▪ rule of law ▪ rule of thumb ▪ rule the roost ▪ rule with a rod of iron ▪ rules of the game ▪ work to rule
Derived: rule off ▪ rule somebody out ▪ rule somebody out of something ▪ rule something off
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
rule / ruːl / noun [ C usually plural ] (INSTRUCTION)
B1 an accepted principle or instruction that states the way things are or should be done, and tells you what you are allowed or are not allowed to do:
A referee must know all the rules of the game.
The first/most important rule in life is always to appear confident.
Before you start your own business you should be familiar with the government's rules and regulations .
You must follow/obey/observe the rules.
You must not break the rules.
In special cases the manager will bend/stretch the rules (= allow the rules to be broken) .
You can trust Ruth because she always plays (it) by/goes by/does things by the rules (= follows instructions, standards, or rules) .
[ + to infinitive ] It's against the rules ( of/in boxing) to hit below the belt.
[ + that ] It's a club rule that new members must sing a song.
Word partners for rule noun
apply / enforce a rule • break / flout / violate a rule • bend / relax / stretch / waive a rule • follow / obey / observe the rules • establish / lay down / make a rule • a rule forbids / prevents / prohibits sth • rules governing sth • a strict / unwritten rule • a rule against sth • be against the rules
rule / ruːl / noun [ U ] (CONTROL)
C2 a period of time during which a particular person or group is in control of a country:
The period of Fascist rule is one people try to forget.
We don't want one-party rule - we want rule by the people.
→ See also misrule
Word partners for rule noun
apply / enforce a rule • break / flout / violate a rule • bend / relax / stretch / waive a rule • follow / obey / observe the rules • establish / lay down / make a rule • a rule forbids / prevents / prohibits sth • rules governing sth • a strict / unwritten rule • a rule against sth • be against the rules
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
rule
[ru͟ːl]
♦
rules, ruling, ruled
1) N-COUNT: oft N of n, N num Rules are instructions that tell you what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do.
...a thirty-two-page pamphlet explaining the rules of basketball...
Sikhs were expected to adhere strictly to the religious rules concerning appearance...
Strictly speaking, this was against the rules.
...the amendment to Rule 22.
2) N-COUNT: oft N for/of n A rule is a statement telling people what they should do in order to achieve success or a benefit of some kind.
An important rule is to drink plenty of water during any flight...
By and large, the rules for healthy eating are the same during pregnancy as at any other time.
3) N-COUNT: oft N of n The rules of something such as a language or a science are statements that describe the way that things usually happen in a particular situation.
It is a rule of English that adjectives generally precede the noun they modify.
...according to the rules of quantum theory.
4) N-SING: the N If something is the rule, it is the normal state of affairs.
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.
[V n] For four centuries, he says, foreigners have ruled Angola...
He ruled for eight months.
[V over n] ...the long line of feudal lords who had ruled over this land.
N-UNCOUNT: usu supp N
Rule is also a noun. ...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.
[V n] Scientists have always been aware of how fear can rule our lives and make us ill.
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]
[V that] The court ruled that laws passed by the assembly remained valid...
[V on n] The Israeli court has not yet ruled on the case...
[V n adj/n] A provincial magistrates' court last week ruled it unconstitutional...
[V against n] Kenneth Clarke, the home secretary, ruled against her being allowed to stay in Britain. [Also V in favour of n]
Syn:
pronounce
8) VERB If you rule a straight line, you draw it using something that has a straight edge.
[V-ed] ...a ruled grid of horizontal and vertical lines. [Also V n]
9) → See also golden rule, ground rule, ruling, slide rule
10) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something happens as a rule, you mean that it usually happens.
As a rule, however, such attacks have been aimed at causing damage rather than taking life.
As a general rule, burglars are wary about gaining entry from the front or side of a building.
Syn:
generally, usually
11) PHRASE: V inflects If someone in authority bends the rules or stretches the rules, they do something even though it is against the rules.
There happens to be a particular urgency in this case, and it would help if you could bend the rules.
12) PHRASE: rule inflects A rule of thumb is a rule or principle that you follow which is not based on exact calculations, but rather on experience.
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...
As a rule of thumb, a cup of filter coffee contains about 80mg of caffeine.
13) PHRASE: V inflects 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]
Nurses are continuing to work to rule.
Phrasal Verbs:
- rule in
- rule out
- rule out of
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1rule /ˈruːl/ noun, pl rules
1 [count]
a : a statement that tells you what is or is not allowed in a particular game, situation, etc.
• I understand the basic rules of chess.
• As long as you're living under our roof, you'll follow/obey our rules.
• The college has strict rules for qualifying for financial assistance.
• The new rule allows/permits employees to dress casually on Fridays.
• Under the new rules, casual dress is now allowed.
• the company's rules and regulations
• It's important to learn the rules of the road before taking your driving test.
• It's against the rules to eat during class.
• He violated the unwritten/unspoken rule that you must thank your host before you leave a party.
• We cannot bend/stretch the rules [=change or ignore the rules] just for you.
• If you break the rules, you'll be asked to leave.
- see also gag rule, ground rule synonyms seelaw
b : a statement that tells you what is allowed or what will happen within a particular system (such as a language or science)
• the rules of grammar
• the rules of geometry
2 [count] : a piece of advice about the best way to do something
• Your speech will go well as long as you follow one simple rule: be confident.
• The first rule of driving is to pay attention.
• A good rule to follow when traveling is to do as the locals do.
3 [singular] : the way something usually is done or happens
• As a rule, I don't drive in the snow. [=I don't usually drive in the snow]
• As a general rule, electronic gadgets become smaller as they develop.
• Friendly customer service seems to be the exception rather than the rule nowadays. [=friendly customer service seems to be rare these days]
• They make it a rule to treat everyone fairly. [=they always treat everyone fairly]
4 [noncount] : the control and power that a particular person, group, or government has over a country or area
• Today we celebrate the anniversary of the country's independence from colonial rule.
• Under her rule, the country prospered.
- see also home rule, majority rule
5 [count] old-fashioned : a stick used for measuring things : ruler
- see also slide rule
by the rules : in the way that is most common, expected, and acceptable
• After years of boredom, he grew tired of living by the rules.
• She has always played by the rules throughout her career.
rule of law : a situation in which the laws of a country are obeyed by everyone
• The courts uphold the rule of law.
rule of thumb
1 : a method of doing something that is based on experience and common sense rather than exact calculation
• A good rule of thumb for keeping your closet organized is to get rid of any clothes you haven't worn in the past year.
2 : a principle that is believed and followed and that is based on the way something usually happens or is done
• As a rule of thumb, stocks that involve greater risk also have the potential of earning you more money.