1. (a.) That which is prescribed or laid down as a guide for conduct or action; a governing direction for a specific purpose; an authoritative enactment; a regulation; a prescription; a precept; as, the rules of various societies; the rules governing a school; a rule of etiquette or propriety; the rules of cricket.

2. (a.) Uniform or established course of things.

3. (a.) Systematic method or practice; as, my rule is to rise at six o'clock.

4. (a.) Ordinary course of procedure; usual way; common state or condition of things; as, it is a rule to which there are many exceptions.

5. (a.) Conduct in general; behavior.

6. (n.) The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.

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

8. (n.) A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result; as, a rule for extracting the cube root.

9. (n.) A general principle concerning the formation or use of words, or a concise statement thereof; thus, it is a rule in England, that s or es , added to a noun in the singular number, forms the plural of that noun; but man forms its plural men, and is an exception to the rule.

10. (n.) A straight strip of wood, metal, or the like, which serves as a guide in drawing a straight line; a ruler.

11. (n.) A measuring instrument consisting of a graduated bar of wood, ivory, metal, or the like, which is usually marked so as to show inches and fractions of an inch, and jointed so that it may be folded compactly.

12. (n.) A thin plate of metal (usually brass) of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.

13. (n.) A composing rule. See under Composing.

14. (n.) To control the will and actions of; to exercise authority or dominion over; to govern; to manage.

15. (n.) To control or direct by influence, counsel, or persuasion; to guide; -- used chiefly in the passive.

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

17. (n.) To require or command by rule; to give as a direction or order of court.

18. (n.) To mark with lines made with a pen, pencil, etc., guided by a rule or ruler; to print or mark with lines by means of a rule or other contrivance effecting a similar result; as, to rule a sheet of paper of a blank book.

19. (v. i.) To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority; -- often followed by over.

20. (v. i.) To lay down and settle a rule or order of court; to decide an incidental point; to enter a rule.

21. (v. i.) To keep within a (certain) range for a time; to be in general, or as a rule; as, prices ruled lower yesterday than the day before.

Aristotelian sorites Goclenian sorites Procrustean law SOP T square a priori truth acme act act on administration antetype antitype apothegm appointment apriorism archetype as a rule ascendancy assize authority authorization average axiom balance ban bar barometer be in be in force be the rage be the rule be the thing be-all and end-all bear reign bid bill biotype blue ribbon brevet brocard bull bylaw bypass call on call the shots call the signals call upon canon carry authority categorical syllogism center championship charge charisma charm check chiefly civil government classic example claws clout clutches code command commandment commission common practice commonly conclude condemn consequence control convention crack the whip credit criterion customarily customs decide declaration declare decorum decree decree-law decreement decretal decretum deduce deem degree determine dictate dictation dictum diktat dilemma direct direction directive directorship discipline dismiss dispensation dispose disposition disregard dominance dominate domination domineer dominion doom drill edict edictum effect effectiveness eliminate eminence empery empire enactment enchantment enjoin enthymeme epitome esteem etiquette exclude fact favor fiat figure find find against find for first place first prize forbid force form form of government formality formula formulary fugleman fugler fundamental gather gauge general orders general principle generality generally genotype give an order give the word gnome golden mean golden rule good feeling govern governance government graduated scale grip guide guideline guiding principle hand hands happy medium have clout have power have the power have the right have the say head up headship hegemony height highest hold ignore imitatee imperative imperium importance in the main incidental power infer influence influentiality insinuation institution instruct instruction ipse dixit iron hand issue a command issue a writ judge jurisdiction jus juste-milieu kingship law law of nature lay off lay out lead leadership legislation leverage lex lordship magnetism mainly manage management mandate mark off mark out mastership mastery matter of course maxim maximum mean measure measure off measure out median mediocrity medium middle middle course middle ground middle point middle position middle state middle-of-the-road midpoint mirror mitzvah mode model modus tollens moment mood moral most mostly ne plus ultra