ruling
noun
\
Definition of ruling
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an official or authoritative decision, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a point of law)
ruling
adjectiveDefinition of ruling (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : exerting power or authority the ruling party
b : chief, predominating a ruling passion
2 : generally prevailing
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Synonyms & Antonyms for ruling
Synonyms: Noun
doom, finding, holding, judgment (or judgement), sentence
Synonyms: Adjective
common, general, majority, overall, popular, prevailing, public, received, vulgar
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of ruling in a Sentence
Noun
The decision overturns the Supreme Court's earlier ruling. She disputed the referee's ruling.Adjective
members of the ruling class the ruling opinion on premarital sex
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Comcast made its $65 billion offer for Fox a day after the ruling last month. — Shalini Ramachandran, WSJ, "Comcast’s Pursuit of Fox Just Got Tougher," 13 July 2018 The Supreme Court ruling in May cleared the way for sports betting in all 50 states. — Greg Moore, azcentral, "Moore: Will Vegas get an NBA team? Question more 'when' than 'whether'," 11 July 2018 Now, according to the SCOTUS ruling, all of this behavior is protected under the banner of free speech. — Lauren Rankin, SELF, "It’s Legal for Crisis Pregnancy Centers in California to Lie to You About Abortion," 11 July 2018 After the ruling, a Quinnipiac poll found Americans split over the issue. — Hannah Fingerhut, The Christian Science Monitor, "Poll: Americans have relatively high confidence in Supreme Court," 10 July 2018 A month after the court ruling, Monmouth opened its sportsbook on June 14, operated by William Hill US. — Andrew Maykuth, Philly.com, "N.J. racetrack that won legal battle over sports betting now wants NFL, NBA to pay up," 9 July 2018 Shortly after the midafternoon ruling, Sharif’s brother Shabbaz Sharif, who is chief minister of Punjab province and a key party leader, rejected the verdict and said both legal actions and peaceful protests would be taken to challenge it. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Pakistan court convicts former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in corruption case," 6 July 2018 Reporter Karen Herzog talks about the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruling in favor of MU professor John McAdams on his claim that the university unlawfully terminated him. — Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Marquette professor John McAdams prevails: Five takeaways from Wisconsin Supreme Court decision," 6 July 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a highly restrictive ruling in June. — David A. Martin, Vox, "How to fix the crisis caused by Central American asylum seekers — humanely," 2 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Photo: Reuters The operation’s success provides a lift for a ruling military junta that has long been criticized for repeatedly putting off elections following a 2014 coup. — Phred Dvorak, WSJ, "All 12 Boys and Their Soccer Coach Rescued From Thai Cave," 10 July 2018 The ruling Baath party claims to represent all of Syria’s religions and sects. — The Economist, "How a victorious Bashar al-Assad is changing Syria," 28 June 2018 As prices soared and gas lines stretched, Brazilians united in a shared hatred of the ruling political class. — Marina Lopes, Washington Post, "Brazilian leader bows to truckers' demands but strike continues to cause chaos," 28 May 2018 Charismatic and fiery, Pashinyan had convinced some lawmakers from the ruling Republican Party to cross party lines and vote for him — something unthinkable just a short while ago. — Washington Post, "Armenia’s opposition leader named prime minister, and his supporters erupt in cheers," 12 May 2018 Charismatic and fiery, Pashinyan had convinced some lawmakers from the ruling Republican Party to cross party lines and vote for him — something unthinkable just a short while ago. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Armenian Parliament elects opposition leader as prime minister," 8 May 2018 Charismatic and fiery, Pashinyan had convinced some lawmakers from the ruling Republican Party to cross party lines and vote for him — something unthinkable just a short while ago. — Washington Post, "Armenian parliament elects opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister," 8 May 2018 Armenians widely blamed Sargsyan and his ruling Republican Party for keeping the country as the Caucasus region's poorest through corruption and incompetence. — Fox News, "New hope: Armenia's young celebrate political changes," 7 May 2018 The ruling Republican Party agreed to meet the opposition’s final demands: Pashinyan’s path to the premiership would not be obstructed. — Matthew Bodner, The New Republic, "Armenia Is Breaking the Post-Soviet Mold," 4 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ruling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ruling
ruling
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ruling
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an official decision made by a judge, referee, etc.
ruling
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of ruling (Entry 2 of 2)
: having control and power over a country, area, group, etc.
See the full definition for ruling in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ruling
nounKids Definition of ruling
: an official decision (as by a judge)
ruling
nounLegal Definition of ruling
: an official or authoritative determination, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a question of law) followed a previous ruling on the same question — see also revenue ruling — compare decision, disposition, finding, holding, judgment, opinion, verdict
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