as in laws
a rule of conduct or action laid down by a governing authority and especially a legislature
a local ordinance forbids all street parking during snowstorms
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Recent Examples of ordinances
Through these referendums, voters can weigh in on construction bans, tax incentives and zoning ordinances.
—
Rachel Mural, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
The counties of San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz have non-cooperation policies or ordinances on the books.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
In 1988, Chicago passed one of the country's first LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinances, a major shift in a city where many once lived in the shadows.
—Darius Johnson, CBS News, 13 June 2026
The Chicago City Council also passed affordable-housing ordinances in the nearby neighborhoods.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Meanwhile, the DeKalb County Commissioners are reportedly reviewing local rules and ordinances after residents raised concerns during a public meeting on June 8.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
The agenda’s supporting documents noted that county staff recommended continuing consideration of the ordinances until the board’s June 16 meeting for adoption.
—Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
City staffers will work out details and draft the ordinances to be brought back to the City Council for a final vote, probably later this year.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Diving on public property, such as sidewalks or parks, is usually allowed unless local ordinances prohibit it.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2025
Rachel Mural, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
The counties of San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz have non-cooperation policies or ordinances on the books.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
In 1988, Chicago passed one of the country's first LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinances, a major shift in a city where many once lived in the shadows.
—Darius Johnson, CBS News, 13 June 2026
The Chicago City Council also passed affordable-housing ordinances in the nearby neighborhoods.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Meanwhile, the DeKalb County Commissioners are reportedly reviewing local rules and ordinances after residents raised concerns during a public meeting on June 8.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
The agenda’s supporting documents noted that county staff recommended continuing consideration of the ordinances until the board’s June 16 meeting for adoption.
—Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
City staffers will work out details and draft the ordinances to be brought back to the City Council for a final vote, probably later this year.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Diving on public property, such as sidewalks or parks, is usually allowed unless local ordinances prohibit it.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordinances
Noun
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These laws apply to the jurisdiction where the bet is placed -- one of the reasons why each bettor’s mobile device must be GPS-located before a wager is placed.—
Nathan Goldman,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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In ordering Anthropic to obtain US approval for foreign nationals to use its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expanded the boundaries of laws governing transfers of sensitive technology to target the mere usage of cutting-edge AI models.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Mills and Morand also highlighted more subtle acts of resistance.—
Calista Oetama,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
-
At Arista, Davis continued to work with culture-defining artists, signing acts including the Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Annie Lennox.—
Dan Hyman,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2026
Noun
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If the plant moves forward to the construction stage, the expenditures will not be recovered through local electric utility customer rates or consumer bills.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
21 June 2026
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None of those bills advanced, and the LGBTQ+ community received no additional resources to protect and defend itself.—
Matthew Blinstrubas,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Uthmeier wrote the opinion in response to a question from Senator Clay Yarborough about whether existing Florida statutes require a school district to accommodate such requests.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
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The statutes underneath it, ECOA aside, do not.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The city attorney’s office submitted a recommendation on Tuesday to break up the charter into a number of amendments.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Wang, however, failed to garner her colleagues’ support for amendments allowing the council to vet the mayor’s choice for the administrator role.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ordinances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordinances. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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