as in principles
formal
a statement by an authority of how people should behave
the moral precepts of a religion
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Recent Examples of precepts
Change is inevitable, but the rapid destruction of the basic precepts upon which our government was formed is beyond dangerous.
—
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precepts
Noun
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Today, the fourth and fifth generations are largely leading the philanthropic drive, but the family’s vision and values were evident throughout the 20th century.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
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Although Connolly served as deputy speaker of Ireland’s lower house after being first elected in 2016, her win was widely viewed as continuing the recent trend of choosing a more independent president based on the candidate’s values.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The new rules went into effect for the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in 2023, according to an internal memo obtained by The National.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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If the high court rules in the favor of the comptroller general who filed the suit, the port sale would be annulled.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Idris Elba, who plays the president in A House of Dynamite, reads the series of codes in the final minutes of the movie, but his actual commands are never shown.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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In one of those lawsuits, an attorney for a delivery driver said in 2022 that the building's support columns were not anchored to the floor, in violation of building codes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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The hope of deriving one set of rules, or axioms, to govern all mathematical truths was fatally undermined.—
Theodore McDarrah,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Visitors who travel down a dirt road to The Hollow — named for the hollow-core concrete that made Mellor wealthy — can enter the compound through a dark, cavernous passage lined with neon signs illuminating maxims from the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Flynn.—
Arthur Allen,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The president’s comments come after his administration expanded a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws, signing up nearly 16,000 officers across 40 states as part of an effort to boost deportations, according to data reviewed by Bloomberg News.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Trump is setting rates by bypassing laws that require a more detailed process for imposing tariffs in limited circumstances.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precepts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precepts. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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