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 do so, the team at IO needed to set some important ground rules and methods to follow.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
The proceedings got a late start today because Judge Arun Subramanian and the lawyers stepped away for a closed-door meeting to hash out ground rules for Jane’s cross-examination.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 12 June 2025
The law also allows universities to set some ground rules about when, where, and how these activities can take place, but those rules can’t favor one viewpoint over another.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2025
Pool hosts are required to reach out to neighbors to establish ground rules about parking cars, pool hours and other items of etiquette.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground rule
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
The proceedings got a late start today because Judge Arun Subramanian and the lawyers stepped away for a closed-door meeting to hash out ground rules for Jane’s cross-examination.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 12 June 2025
The law also allows universities to set some ground rules about when, where, and how these activities can take place, but those rules can’t favor one viewpoint over another.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2025
Pool hosts are required to reach out to neighbors to establish ground rules about parking cars, pool hours and other items of etiquette.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground rule
Cite this Entry
“Ground rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20rule. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share