home rule

noun

|Updated on: 30 May 2018

Definition of home rule

: self-government or limited autonomy in internal affairs by a dependent political unit (such as a territory or municipality)

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Examples of home rule in a Sentence

The citizens petitioned for home rule.

Recent Examples of home rule from the Web

One of the things that has kept this from being part of the policy debate in New Jersey is the concept of home rule, where politicians have been really afraid to take it on.

— maddie hanna, Philly.com, "N.J. schools among 'most segregated' in nation, suit says," 17 May 2018
And earlier this year, a committee at the Arizona House of Representatives approved a bill that would have required DCS to strike all gun restrictions from its foster-home rules, noting state law prohibits agencies from enacting their own gun rules.

— mary jo pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com, "Should the Second Amendment trump foster-home safety rules?," 22 Apr. 2018
The long term city governance would be determined by the home rule charter.

— jeff forward, Houston Chronicle, "Year-long incorporation study kicks off in The Woodlands," 12 May 2018
The Buckeye Firearms Association said the law overrides home rule on the matter of firearms, meaning Ohio cities cannot pass laws tightening or loosening gun regulations established at the state and federal level.

— cameron knight, Cincinnati.com, "Groups prepared to sue Cincinnati over bump stock ban," 10 May 2018
Councilors disagreed on whether the new rules should come in a home rule petition or a city ordinance.

— yvonne abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "Do Boston’s leaders care about reform or not?," 21 Apr. 2018
The board also moved to increase the home rule sales tax from 0.75 percent to 1 percent effective July 1, according to the report.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "Northbrook increases sales tax, scales back property tax levy," 27 Mar. 2018
Furthermore, Douglass was a black man of consistently radical opinion, also supporting such heresies as women’s suffrage and Irish home rule.

— mark feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "The face of 19th-century America," 5 Apr. 2018
Senator Liz Krueger, a consistently liberal voice who represents a district on the East Side of Manhattan, said during debate on the Senate floor that the bill signaled the death of home rule.

— vivian wang and jesse mckinley, New York Times, "In New York Budget, a Fusillade Against de Blasio," 31 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'home rule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of home rule

1858

in the meaning defined above

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HOME RULE Defined for English Language Learners

home rule

noun

Definition of home rule for English Language Learners

: government of a place (such as a country or territory) by the people who live there instead of by another country

Law Dictionary

home rule

noun

legal Definition of home rule

: self-government or limited autonomy in internal affairs by a dependent political unit (as a territory or municipality); also : the political theory or principle of self-government