• (British, America) IPA: /ɹuːl/, [ɹuːɫ]

rule

1. A regulation, law, guideline.

   All participants must adhere to the rules.

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

2. A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure.
   • , Robert South, [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A60955.0001.001/1:15?rgn=div1;view=fulltext Sermons]

     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.

3. A straight line continuous mark, as made by a pen or the like, especially one lying across a paper as a guide for writing.
4. A regulating principle.
   • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, All's well that ends well, Act I, scene I

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

5. The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Hebrews 13:17 ↗:

     Obey them that have the rule over you.

   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book III”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: Printed for Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646 ↗:

     His stern rule the groaning land obeyed.

6. 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.

7. (obsolete) Conduct; behaviour.
   • c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or VVhat You VVill”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iii]:

     This uncivil rule; she shall know of it.

8. (legal) An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit.
9. (math) A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result.

   a rule for extracting the cube root

10. (printing, dated) A 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.

• regulate
• regent
• regular

• French: règle
• German: Regel
• Italian: regola
• Portuguese: regra, lei, regulamento
• Russian: пра́вило
• Spanish: regla

• German: Herrschaft
• Russian: правле́ние

rule (rules, present participle ruling; past and past participle ruled)

1. (transitive) To regulate, be in charge of, make decisions for, reign over.
2. (slang, intransitive) To excel.

   This game rules!

3. (transitive) To mark (paper or the like) with rules lines.
4. (intransitive) To decide judicially.
5. (transitive) 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 schoolmen.

• (to excel) rock (also slang)

• (to excel) suck (vulgar slang)

• French: gouverner, régler
• German: regieren, beherrschen
• Italian: governare
• Portuguese: reinar, governar
• Russian: пра́вить
• Spanish: mandar, gobernar

• Spanish: molar

rule

1. (obsolete) Revelry.

rule (rules, present participle ruling; past and past participle ruled)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To revel.

1. Surname