as in rules
a statement spelling out the proper procedure or conduct for an activity
before the debate begins, let's lay out some ground rules
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Recent Examples of ground rules
Instead, White suggests talking about things in advance and setting some ground rules.
—
Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
Enlargement may look pretty on paper, but BRICS needs ground rules, enforcement, and even just a common message.
—Brian Wong, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Many of these groups, including Nallen Copley’s, have strict ground rules against pitching products and deals and gatekeep against vendors or brokers.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Are Hal and Kate planning to assess and adjust their expectations and ground rules at the six-month or one-year mark?
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Factionalism, doctrine, ground rules, justifications are, in Anderson’s film, irrelevant, meaning that French 75’s actions take place in an intellectual void.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
No ground rules needed to be set before cameras began to roll.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025
Publishing income sharing agreements exist among major acts in the music business, and platinum-level acts such as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers built their careers by establishing royalty-sharing ground rules at an early stage, thereby avoiding costly litigation and personal conflict later on.
—Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After reports that Prince Harry had his own list of requests to go on with the reconciliation, there are now rumors that King Charles has his own ground rules, too, for the upcoming meeting.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
Enlargement may look pretty on paper, but BRICS needs ground rules, enforcement, and even just a common message.
—Brian Wong, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Many of these groups, including Nallen Copley’s, have strict ground rules against pitching products and deals and gatekeep against vendors or brokers.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Are Hal and Kate planning to assess and adjust their expectations and ground rules at the six-month or one-year mark?
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Factionalism, doctrine, ground rules, justifications are, in Anderson’s film, irrelevant, meaning that French 75’s actions take place in an intellectual void.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
No ground rules needed to be set before cameras began to roll.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025
Publishing income sharing agreements exist among major acts in the music business, and platinum-level acts such as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers built their careers by establishing royalty-sharing ground rules at an early stage, thereby avoiding costly litigation and personal conflict later on.
—Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After reports that Prince Harry had his own list of requests to go on with the reconciliation, there are now rumors that King Charles has his own ground rules, too, for the upcoming meeting.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ground rules
Noun
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Heat strengthens pure metals Standard metallurgical rules dictate that heat eases atomic movement, rendering metals more pliable and simpler to reshape under normal conditions.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
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Employers then automatically increase your contributions by 1% of your paya year until the contributions reach between 8% and 10%, depending on state rules.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Toews cites Post Falls, near his North Idaho hometown, as a city cutting regulations of its own accord.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
13 Feb. 2026
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Air quality regulations and programs are loosening their restrictions.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Often, competitive incentives offered by state governments, state laws that are less friendly to labor unions than many northern states and access to major transportation networks are among the reasons behind the industry’s rise in the South.—
Brian Moody,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Also slashed was $4 million that had been awarded to California under the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) program, which supports new energy efficient building codes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Permitting rules and building codes can also be a barrier.—
Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
Scientific American,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ground rules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ground%20rules. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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