Thesaurus results for GUIDELINES

guidelines

noun

plural of guideline

as in standards

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 guidelines County officials responsible for issuing building permits have been accused of failing to conduct adequate inspections to ensure developers comply with safety guidelines and construction standards. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 Using such guidelines as the standard is reasonable, which is exactly what makes his handling of them so telling. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026 As the landscape of lung cancer patients shifts to more nonsmokers — defined as people who have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime — screening guidelines based on risk rather than smoking history could save more lives. — Meeri Kim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 The new guidelines come after years of mounting customer complaints. — Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026 But some of the responses indicated officials weren't always closely following the guidelines. — Chiara Eisner, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 The Anne Arundel County Board of Education is working to develop a policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in schools following a state mandate requiring local districts to establish responsible-use guidelines. — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 The company says its system reasons through investor requirements, borrower context, guidelines, overlays, and related concepts before producing a decision path that can be reproduced and audited. — Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Massachusetts invested $425,000 to expand CPR education in public schools, while Colorado includes hands-on CPR and AED instruction in its statewide health education guidelines but stops short of requiring schools to provide it. — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guidelines

Noun

To ensure top-tier data protection, the whole system is developed and operated under ISO 27001 standards, as per the release.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Bowles distinguished between the legal standards for criminal prosecution and the university’s responsibility to address conduct that could threaten student safety or violate campus regulations.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of standards

Noun

All three said West Point appears to be circumventing the judge's ruling by using a different justification to continue to enforce its speech rules.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
This exploits a loophole in the government's fiscal rules, as money given to these institutions does not count as extra borrowing.

— Ian King, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rules

Noun

No new legislation or regulations are needed, just enforce the existing laws and rules and the hawkers will melt away.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Food vendors, activists and organizers from the Food Chain Workers Alliance and Street Vendors Association of Chicago rally at the Haymarket Memorial to demand reforms to the city's restrictive street vending regulations, October 26 2026.

— Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of regulations

Noun

Synthetic mRNA delivers the instructions on these specific targets, allowing the body to present them to immune cells.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Believing her daughter’s life was on the line, Del Mastro followed the caller’s instructions for five hours.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of instructions

Noun

While a 2015 ordinance legalized street vending in Chicago, strict public health codes effectively limited what vendors could do.

— Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Strong building codes, effective enforcement, stronger roofs, protected openings and sound roof-to-wall connections can interrupt the expensive cycle of destruction and reconstruction.

— Kevin M. McCarty, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of codes

Noun

The California Latino Voter Alliance, which is backed by Republican lawmakers, mailed guides to Californians in recent weeks pitching them in English and Spanish on how to cast their ballots for both local and state candidates.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
With the interference removed, the transport molecules can quickly stick to the flexible base, while the new additive guides crystal growth and seals up flaws in the perovskite layer.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of guides

Browse Nearby Words

guideline

guidelines

guidepost

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Guidelines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guidelines. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of guidelines

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

satiate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes