by the rules
idiom
: in the way that is most common, expected, and acceptable
After years of boredom, he grew tired of living by the rules.
She has always played by the rules throughout her career.
Examples of by the rules in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Klein described Kirk as a practitioner of persuasion—a fierce ideological opponent but one who still played by the rules.
—
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
But that’s not really playing by the rules of the text.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
That’s an abstraction because as Gallup and other pollsters know, Americans believe many nations, especially China, haven’t played by the rules.
—Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Grizzled and angry where his Police Squad daddy (Leslie Nielsen) was daft and entitled, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. is a widowed copper struggling to play by the rules in a new era of police accountability.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for by the rules
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Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
But that’s not really playing by the rules of the text.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
That’s an abstraction because as Gallup and other pollsters know, Americans believe many nations, especially China, haven’t played by the rules.
—Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Grizzled and angry where his Police Squad daddy (Leslie Nielsen) was daft and entitled, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. is a widowed copper struggling to play by the rules in a new era of police accountability.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for by the rules
Cite this Entry
“By the rules.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20the%20rules. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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