Synonyms of ruled

ruled

verb

past tense of rule

1

as in governed

to exercise authority or power over

a sea captain who ruled his ship sternly but justly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• governed
• controlled
• dominated
• dictated
• commanded
• managed
• swayed
• domineered
• administered
• captained
• led
• presided (over)
• bossed
• oversaw
• conducted
• regulated
• headed
• directed
• supervised
• conquered
• mastered
• subjugated
• oppressed
• reigned (over)
• micromanaged
• tyrannized
• subdued
• superintended
• lorded (it over)

2

as in controlled

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)

a monarch who is known for ruling her emotions with an iron hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• controlled
• contained
• regulated
• curbed
• kept
• restrained
• measured
• governed
• suppressed
• stifled
• held
• constrained
• checked
• tamed
• inhibited
• stopped
• bridled
• pulled in
• swallowed
• reined (in)
• interrupted
• strangled
• smothered
• blocked
• repressed
• arrested
• hampered
• impeded
• hindered
• held back
• silenced
• choked (back)
• muffled
• minced
• obstructed
• squelched
• sank
• pocketed
• bottled (up)
• handcuffed
• muzzled
• gagged

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lost
• liberated
• loosened
• expressed
• unleashed
• aired
• took out
• loosed
• vented

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruled

After all, if our nation's highest court ruled that underrepresented applicants could no longer receive preferential treatment, why should legacy applicants, a group research shows is overwhelmingly affluent, continue to enjoy it? — Brian Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

The narrative then jumps forward to a time in the distant future in a segregated Britain, where Black people are condemned to a ghetto riddled with drugs and ruled by gangs. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 July 2026

Marsh, the judge who presided over the trial, repeatedly admonished Basabe for bringing up things that the court had previously ruled he wasn’t allowed to mention. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

Lamberth, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, ruled on June 7 that officials must house the lawsuit's plaintiffs in women’s prisons or women’s halfway houses. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

Two of their roommates — Funke and Mortensen — were home and unarmed, and police ruled them out as suspects early on. — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026

Raper ruled that the meaning was not defamatory, finding that an assertion that someone had changed their story would not necessarily cause an ordinary reasonable person to think less of them. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 July 2026

The courtroom pleasantries represented a dramatic comedown for a strongman who once ruled Venezuela from a fortified presidential compound. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026

But last week Judge Dominic Capraro ruled the groups did not violate the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act. — David Wickert, AJC.com, 22 July 2026