1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

guideline

noun

Definition of guidelinenext
as in rule
something usually in writing that shows or tells how something should be done The government has issued new guidelines for following a healthy and balanced diet. Here are some basic guidelines for helping you choose a dishwasher.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of guideline Alix Earle, on the other hand, at 25 years old, falls within the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s guidelines for a clinical breast exam every 6 to 12 months as well as an annual breast MRI. — Caitlin Carlson, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2026 Perhaps due to community guidelines, Novig didn’t post the provocative clip on Instagram or TikTok. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 Illinois’ guidelines for those vaccines, released Thursday, are in line with the medical groups’ joint recommendations. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 In February, President Pamela Whitten and the board of trustees supported and adopted the Chicago Principles, a set of guidelines regarding how the university upholds its free speech environment. — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guideline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guideline
  1. rule
  2. standard
  3. guide
  4. regulation
  5. code
  6. instruction
  7. principle
  8. law
Noun
  • In 2025, World Tennis, the sport’s world governing body, changed the rules, allowing it essentially everywhere.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The main rule is that cows be able to graze 120 days of the year.
    — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of rule
Noun
  • Under questioning, Patel denied that the changes reflected a lowering of employment standards and insisted they were designed to prevent victims who'd been forced to engage in that conduct from being automatically disqualified.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • No function is better positioned to set that standard than the office of the CFO.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of standard
Noun
  • Then be sure to read our roundups of the best telescope deals, along with our beginner's guide to observing the night sky with a manual telescope.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • When Kyl returned to the halls of Congress in 2018, he was known as Kavanaugh's chief sherpa -- an informal but widely known term for a nominee's guide to the political tundra in the Senate.
    — JACQUES BILLEAUD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of guide
Noun
  • The Big Ten enters this week largely unscathed after Week 1, with 15 of its teams winning in regulation, another needing assistance from clock operators and two falling considerably short.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Area dynamics, municipal regulations, employer activity and renter preferences vary from market to market.
    — Lee Kiser, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of regulation
Noun
  • The players have to figure out how to open the chests, each of which contains part of a code.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Fundamentalists will claim that the moral code that follows from their faith needs no intellect to follow.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of code
Noun
  • Ask for the source, confirm the reservation, or reread the instructions yourself.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2026
  • Yet his Parma team-mates ranked lowly too, suggesting this was a tactical instruction.
    — Aston Villa, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of instruction
Noun
  • Coach Nick Sirianni hired another first-time play-caller, Sean Mannion, to build a brand new system with principles championed by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • On October 7, Hamas, a group that al-Qaeda regularly criticized for compromising on theological principles in the pursuit of its political agenda, launched a bloody terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,100 people.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of principle
Noun
  • Lyft also doesn’t fingerprint its drivers unless required by law and doesn’t provide adequate background checks, the lawsuit alleged.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The county, which is facing a structural deficit, has signaled a legal challenge to the new law, should Newsom sign it.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of law

Browse Nearby Words

guide dogs
guideline
guidelines
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Guideline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guideline. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All