rule

Sense 1 noun

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast

Sense 2 verb

exercise authority over; as of nations

Who is governing the country now?

Sense 3 noun

something regarded as a normative example

the convention of not naming the main character

Sense 4 verb

decide with authority

The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed

Sense 5 noun

prescribed guide for conduct or action

Sense 6 verb

be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

Money reigns supreme here

Sense 7 noun

(linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice

Sense 8 verb

decide on and make a declaration about

find someone guilty

Sense 9 noun

a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct

their principles of composition characterized all their works

Sense 10 verb

have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac

Sense 11 noun

the duration of a monarch's or government's power

during the rule of Elizabeth

Sense 12 verb

mark or draw with a ruler

rule the margins

Sense 13 noun

dominance or power through legal authority

France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa

Sense 14 verb

keep in check

rule one's temper

Sense 15 noun

directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted

he knew the rules of chess

Sense 16 noun

any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order

the rule of St. Dominic

Sense 17 noun

a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system

the principle of the conservation of mass

Sense 18 noun

(mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems

he determined the upper bound with Descartes' rule of signs

Sense 19 noun

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