as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the coach ruled on the question of whether an off-campus bar fight ought to disqualify someone from the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule (on)
Verb
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That April, Valerii decided to sell his Moskvitch in Kyiv.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026 -
By the time Claudia Martínez added a fourth in the 75th minute, Audi Field was buzzing, the result long decided.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The exact reasons are often left vague, and the successors to be determined, but people are leaving.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
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Forensic investigators will determine whether the shooting was accidental, police said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dante Pride, who represented Evans in his lawsuit that the city settled last year, did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment on Evans’ behalf.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Ultimately, Hulk settled all litigation against Gawker Media for $31 million in November 2016, per ABC News.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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DeSantis also said Wednesday that Asian Americans had faced discrimination in university admissions and that people should be judged on their merits not their demographic backgrounds.—
Mike Schneider,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Two umpires from the Japanese Table Tennis Association judged the games.—
Matt O’Brien,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rule (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20%28on%29. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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