ruling

noun

Definition of ruling

: an official or authoritative decision, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a point of law)

See ruling defined for English-language learners

See ruling defined for kids

Examples of ruling in a Sentence

The decision overturns the Supreme Court's earlier ruling.
She disputed the referee's ruling.

Recent Examples of ruling from the Web

Barber said the department is still waiting for a ruling from the state Attorney General's office that could clarify if and when the department must make video public.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Police body cameras having effect in Mobile, but questions remain," 18 July 2017
The ruling has set counties scrambling to figure out how to determine whether water is legally available, and stymied people trying to build homes.

— joseph o’sullivan, The Seattle Times, "Olympia in deadlock as lawmakers battle over water rights, construction," 16 July 2017
On Thursday, July 13, 2017, a federal appeals court overturned Silver’s corruption conviction, saying the judge’s instructions on law weren’t consistent with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

— Washington Post, "Conviction of ex-NY Assembly speaker tossed; retrial sought," 13 July 2017
Louisville still appears to be pursuing a four-man class, though the NCAA ruling, which U of L appealed, does call for forfeiting four scholarships over the next four seasons.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball | 8 questions for the Cards as they start key recruiting stretch," 12 July 2017
The ruling was a clear victory for the Management Group because the court ruled in favor of our fraud claim.

— vanityfair.com, "Johnny Depp’s Extravagant Spending Habits Ruled Irrelevant By Judge—For Now," 11 July 2017
On June 26th, the justices refused to review the ruling, leaving the federal appeal decision as is and residents with little hope of relief.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "East Hampton Residents Are Trying to Limit Noise From Local Airport Traffic," 5 July 2017
That case, which saw the NCAA lift a postseason ban proposed by the Committee on Infractions, is a rare example of the committee significantly reversing an original ruling.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Compliance experts on Louisville case: NCAA appeals process an uphill battle," 30 June 2017
In its argument, Arkansas said same-sex spouses should not be included on birth certificates since the second person was not a biological parent and that the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage did not extend to other contexts.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Supreme Court rules states must list both same-sex parents on birth certificates: Alabama already was," 30 June 2017

These 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.

First Known Use of ruling

14th century

ruling

adjective

Definition of ruling

1a : exerting power or authority the ruling partyb : chief, predominating a ruling passion
2 : generally prevailing

See ruling defined for English-language learners

Examples of ruling in a Sentence

members of the ruling class
the ruling opinion on premarital sex

Recent Examples of ruling from the Web

Saudi Arabia in 2011 sent troops into Bahrain to bolster the ruling family, which was facing unrest.

— stanley reed and clifford krauss, New York Times, "After Initial Jolt Over Qatar Tensions, Energy Markets Settle," 5 June 2017
Somebody beat Khalil Gilbert to death, but his killer remains free Ruling deaths ‘

— deanna boyd, star-telegram.com, "Child abuse trials: ‘There are no higher stakes’," 31 May 2017
The president has been enthusiastically embraced in Riyadh, where the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia has welcomed his aggressive stance on Iran, its regional foe.

— Fox News, "Trump, in speech to Muslim leaders, calls for shutting down terror funding," 21 May 2017

First Known Use of ruling

1561

RULING Defined for English Language Learners

ruling

noun

Definition of ruling for English Language Learners

: an official decision made by a judge, referee, etc.

ruling

adjective

Definition of ruling for English Language Learners

: having control and power over a country, area, group, etc.

RULING Defined for Kids

ruling

noun rul·ing \ˈrü-liŋ\

Definition of ruling for Students

: an official decision (as by a judge)

Law Dictionary

ruling

noun rul·ing

Legal 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