home rule

noun

Definition of home rule

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

Examples of home rule in a Sentence

The citizens petitioned for home rule.

Recent Examples on the Web Nantucket, facing its own housing challenges, has tried to get a home rule petition for a transfer fee approved in the past three legislative sessions but has not succeeded. — BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2021 And just this week, one Boston city councilor is introducing two home rule petitions that would create provisions for no-excuse vote-by-mail and allow for same day voter registration in the city’s municipal elections. — BostonGlobe.com, 27 Apr. 2021 Democracies in sectarian societies often create institutional arrangements to protect the minority, like minority or group rights, power-sharing agreements, devolution or home rule. — New York Times, 19 Apr. 2021 But local officials and groups opposed the bill raising concerns over home rule. — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Apr. 2021 This week, the City Council passed a home rule petition that would avoid a special mayoral election should Walsh leave City Hall before March 5, following concerns about the city hosting another election amid the pandemic. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2021 Officials said one reason for this improvement was the way sales tax and home rule sales tax have begun performing better than initially anticipated. — Kaitlin Edquist, chicagotribune.com, 14 Dec. 2020 Deerfield passed an ordinance in 2013 after Illinois lawmakers gave home rule municipalities a 10-day window to regulate assault weapons before the Illinois Concealed Carry Act overrode their ability to do so. — James T. Norman, chicagotribune.com, 8 Dec. 2020 Two lawsuits, initiated by the cities of Athens and Elyria, challenged the centralized collection as a violation of their home rule powers under the Ohio Constitution. — Robert Higgs, cleveland, 6 Nov. 2020

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More About home rule

Dictionary Entries Near home rule

Statistics for home rule

Last Updated

13 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Home rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home%20rule. Accessed 20 Jun. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for home rule

home rule

noun

English Language Learners Definition of home rule

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

See the full definition for home rule in the English Language Learners 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