rule of the road
noun phrase
: a customary practice (such as driving always on a particular side of the road or yielding the right of way) developed in the interest of safety and often subsequently reinforced by law
especially
: any of the rules making up a code governing ships in matters relating to mutual safety
Examples of rule of the road in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On this drive, the truck followed all the rules of the road and even demonstrated an uncommon courtesy to other drivers.
—
Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
So the rules of the road for mortgage finance in the U.S. are very different.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Coming from a country where traffic lanes, lights and signs were virtually nonexistent, even men who drove in their homeland face a big adjustment to the rules of the road in the United States.
—Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Finally, states could adopt uniform rules of the road for autonomous drones to reduce the risk of accidents.
—Paul Scharre, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024
Along with the growing trend of e-bikes comes concerns of safety, rules of the road and trips to hospitals for its riders.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
These are examples of a belief that industry has to come together around building trust and also establishing a framework for trust, what the rules of the road are and the guidelines are.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
And that bully in the Kremlin — Russian President Vladimir Putin — must not be allowed to rewrite the rules of the road and dismiss Ukraine’s rights as a sovereign nation, redraw borders and flout international law.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Actually, Gordon didn’t go that far, and there’s obvious value to testing people on the rules of the road (provided the questions are relevant).
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
So the rules of the road for mortgage finance in the U.S. are very different.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Coming from a country where traffic lanes, lights and signs were virtually nonexistent, even men who drove in their homeland face a big adjustment to the rules of the road in the United States.
—Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Finally, states could adopt uniform rules of the road for autonomous drones to reduce the risk of accidents.
—Paul Scharre, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024
Along with the growing trend of e-bikes comes concerns of safety, rules of the road and trips to hospitals for its riders.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
These are examples of a belief that industry has to come together around building trust and also establishing a framework for trust, what the rules of the road are and the guidelines are.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
And that bully in the Kremlin — Russian President Vladimir Putin — must not be allowed to rewrite the rules of the road and dismiss Ukraine’s rights as a sovereign nation, redraw borders and flout international law.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Actually, Gordon didn’t go that far, and there’s obvious value to testing people on the rules of the road (provided the questions are relevant).
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rule of the road.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rule of the road
Cite this Entry
“Rule of the road.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20of%20the%20road. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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