rule

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English Vietnamese dictionary

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Advanced English dictionary

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noun, verb
+ noun
of activity / game
1 [C] 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 [C] 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 [C, usually sing.] 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 [C] 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 [U] the government of a country or control of a group of people by a particular person, group or system: under Communist / colonial British / civilian / military 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 [C] a measuring instrument with a straight edge
See also - SLIDE RULE
Idioms: bend / stretch the rules to change the rules to suit a particular person or situation
play by sb's (own) rules if sb plays by their own rules or makes other people play by their rules, they set the conditions for doing business or having a relationship
play by the rules to deal fairly and honestly with people
the rules of the game the standards of behaviour that most people accept or that actually operate in a particular area of life or business
the rule of law the condition in which all members of society, including its rulers, accept the authority of the law: Democracy and the rule of law are yet to be firmly established in the country.
a rule of thumb a practical method of doing or measuring sth, usually based on past experience rather than on exact measurement: As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minutes for each pound of weight.
work to rule to follow the rules of your job in a very strict way in order to cause delay, as a form of protest against your employer or your working conditions
See also - WORK-TO-RULE
more at EXCEPTION
+ verb
govern / control
1 ~ (over sb/sth) to control and have authority over a country, a group of people, etc: [VN] At that time John ruled England. + The family ruled London's gangland in the sixties. + (figurative) Eighty million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth. + [V] Charles I ruled for eleven years. + She once ruled over a vast empire. + (figurative) After the revolution, anarchy ruled.
2 [VN] [often passive] (often disapproving) to be the main thing that influences and controls sb/sth: The pursuit of money ruled his life. + We live in a society where we are ruled by the clock.
give official decision
3 ~ (on sth) to give an official decision about sth: [V] The court will rule on the legality of the action. + The judge ruled against / in favour of the plaintiff. + [VN-ADJ] The deal may be ruled illegal. + The defendant was ruled not guilty. + [V that] The court ruled that the women were unfairly dismissed. [also VN to inf, VN that]
draw straight line
4 to draw a straight line using sth that has a firm straight edge: Rule a line at the end of every piece of work.
Idioms: rule the roost (informal) to be the most powerful member of a group: Liverpool ruled the roost in English football for a decade.
rule (sb/sth) with a rod of iron to control a person or a group of people very severely
more at COURT n., DIVIDE v., HEART
Phrasal Verbs: rule off
rule sth<->off to separate sth from the next section of writing by drawing a line underneath it
rule sb/sth<->out
1 ~ (as sth) to state that sth is not possible or that sb/sth is not suitable
Synonym: EXCLUDE
Police have not ruled out the possibility that the man was murdered. + The proposed solution was ruled out as too expensive.
2 to prevent sb from doing sth; to prevent sth from happening: His age effectively ruled him out as a possible candidate.
rule sb out of sth [usually passive] (in sport) to state that a player or competitor will not be able to take part in a sporting event; to prevent a player from taking part: Owen has been ruled out of tonight's match with a knee injury.

Thesaurus dictionary

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n.

1 regulation, order, law, ordinance, ruling, decree, ukase, statute, principle, direction, guide, guideline, precept:

We go by the Golden Rule here, Jim, 'Do unto others before they do unto you'

2 dominion, authority, control, sovereignty, sway, command, ascendancy, direction, oversight, supervision, mastery:

How could such a despised monarch maintain rule over a people for so long?

3 fact, standard, customs, practice, form, routine, convention, policy, way things are:

Honesty and integrity among our students are the rule rather than the exception

4 as a rule. generally, usually, normally, customarily, for the most part, mostly, ordinarily, mainly, in the main, chiefly, on the whole, commonly, more often than not:

As a rule, we require payment in advance.

v.

5 Sometimes, rule over. reign (over), govern, be in control or charge or command (of or over), be in power (over), hold sway (over), wield the sceptre, wear the crown, run; prevail, hold sway, dominate, predominate, control:

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Supposedly, the majority rules in a democracy

6 direct, guide, manage, control, lead, head (up), preside (over), superintend, oversee, supervise, regulate, govern, run:

The company is ruled by a committee made up of employees and directors.

7 decide, judge, hand down a judgement or decision, decree, deem, resolve, settle, determine, find, declare, pronounce:

The referee ruled that Jones had committed a foul.

8 rule out. ban, bar, prohibit, exclude, eliminate, forbid, preclude, proscribe, negate, dismiss, disregard, bypass, ignore, overlook:

The programme committee ruled out Birmingham as the site of next year's conference.

Collocation dictionary

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¹ what you can or cannot do, say, etc.

ADJ.

basic, cardinal, first, fundamental, golden | ground ~s

You and your flatmates should establish some ground rules.

| general | formal, official, written | informal, unwritten | rigid, strict, stringent | absolute, hard and fast

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing a typeface.

| clear | simple

Follow these few simple rules, and you won't go far wrong.

| arbitrary | petty

He made his children's lives a misery with all his petty rules.

| club, company, competition, school, union, etc. | cultural, ethical, legal, moral, social | disciplinary, immigration, safety, tax | grammar, grammatical

QUANT.

set

The aim is to get each member country to adhere to a single set of rules.

VERB + RULE

draw up, establish, formulate, impose, issue, lay down, make, set out | abide by, adhere to, follow, go by, obey, observe, play by, stick to

If he wanted a loan he would have to play by the bank's rules.

| be in line with, conform to

The packaging does not conform to EU rules.

| be in breach of, break, disregard, fall foul of, flout, violate

Their action was in breach of Stock Exchange rules.

| apply, enforce

The referee applied the rules to the letter (= very strictly).

| bend, relax

Couldn't they just bend the rules and let us in without a ticket?

| waive | tighten up

The rules on claiming sickness benefit have been tightened up.

| be bound by, be fettered by, be governed by

Social workers are bound by rules of confidentiality.

| interpret, understand

The punishment depends on how the umpire interprets the rules.

RULE + VERB

apply, be applicable, operate | provide sth, say sth, state sth, stipulate sth

The competition rules provide that a cash alternative may be given.

| govern sth

the rules governing the importing of livestock

| allow (for) sth, permit sth

The existing rules allow for some flexibility.

| forbid sth, prohibit sth | limit sth, restrict sth

rules limitingimports

RULE + NOUN

book

The officialswent strictly by the rule book.

PREP.

according to the ~s

According to the rules, no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.

| against/contrary to the ~s

Tackling a player without the ball is against the rules.

| in accordance with the ~s

The music was turned off at midnight, in accordance with the rules.

| outside the ~s

behaviour which is outside the rules

| under a/the ~

Under this rule, only full members of the club are entitled to vote.

| within the ~s

I believed I was acting within the rules.

| ~ about/concerning/on/regarding/relating to

What are the school rules about dress?

| ~ for

There seems to be one rule for the rich and another for the poor. What is the rule for forming plurals?

| ~ of

the rules of the game

PHRASES

a breach/violation of the rules, a body/code/network/system of rules, respect for the rules, rules and regulations

² what is usual

ADJ.

general

There are fewexceptions to the general rule thatshops close at six o'clock.

PREP.

as a ~

As a rule, hardlyanybody uses this road.

PHRASES

be the rule

Among herfriends, casual dress and a relaxedmanner are the rule.

³ government

ADJ.

authoritarian, harsh | direct, indirect | emergency

Thepresident imposed emergency rulefollowing the riots.

| majority | one-party | Labour, Tory, etc. | colonial | home | civilian, military | presidential | mob

thelawless days of mob rule

VERB + RULE

impose

PREP.

under … ~

The countryremained under direct rule by theoccupying powers.

PHRASES

the rule of law

a societybased on the rule of law

Concise English dictionary

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rules|ruled|rulingruːl
noun
+a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
+something regarded as a normative example
+prescribed guide for conduct or action
+(linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice
+a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
+a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system
+the duration of a monarch's or government's power
+dominance or power through legal authority
+directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted
+any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order
+(mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems
+measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths
verb
+exercise authority over; as of nations
+decide with authority
+be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
+decide on and make a declaration about
+have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac
+mark or draw with a ruler
+keep in check

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