ground rule
noun
1
: a sports rule adopted to modify play on a particular field, court, or course
2
: a rule of procedure
ground rules for selecting a superintendent—
Amer. School Board Jour.
Amer. School Board Jour.
Examples of ground rule in a Sentence
before the debate begins, let's lay out some ground rules
Recent Examples on the Web
To stay in the national flood insurance program, communities must agree to a few ground rules.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Policy experts have urged Congress to pass new legislation that could set basic ground rules for the AI industry, but leaders in both chambers have taken a slower, more deliberate approach, and few expect results this year.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Referencing a contract between the Eagles and Sanders from 1979 — which set ground rules for the book project and asserted that all materials given to the writer were the property of the Eagles — Ginandes also asserted that Henley was the rightful owner of the pads in question.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024
White House officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House to brief reporters, said on Saturday that the framework would include freeing Hamas’s hostages and allowing more aid.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
To ensure psychological safety in these discussions, have clear ground rules and boundaries around what is expected of the group.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Address partnership ground rules before agreeing to participate.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Key to the drama are the suites, all carefully decorated to reflect their occupants, while keeping to strict ground rules laid down by the resort.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2024
Think of it as setting ground rules for a game—what's in bounds and what's out?
—Saurabh Choudhuri, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Policy experts have urged Congress to pass new legislation that could set basic ground rules for the AI industry, but leaders in both chambers have taken a slower, more deliberate approach, and few expect results this year.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Referencing a contract between the Eagles and Sanders from 1979 — which set ground rules for the book project and asserted that all materials given to the writer were the property of the Eagles — Ginandes also asserted that Henley was the rightful owner of the pads in question.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024
White House officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House to brief reporters, said on Saturday that the framework would include freeing Hamas’s hostages and allowing more aid.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
To ensure psychological safety in these discussions, have clear ground rules and boundaries around what is expected of the group.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Address partnership ground rules before agreeing to participate.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Key to the drama are the suites, all carefully decorated to reflect their occupants, while keeping to strict ground rules laid down by the resort.
—James Medd, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2024
Think of it as setting ground rules for a game—what's in bounds and what's out?
—Saurabh Choudhuri, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground rule.' 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 ground rule
Cite this Entry
“Ground rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20rule. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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