as in decides
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 rules (on)
Verb
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Gina, meanwhile, decides there’s no point in any of it.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025 -
The Japanese anime series follows a young figure skater Yuri who, after a string of crushing losses leading up to the Grand Prix Finale, is taken under the wing of a Russian figure skating champion named Victor, who decides to be his coach.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Employee feedback determines the winners.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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The link is because of gravitation, and the fact that within general relativity, the presence and concentration of matter-and-energy determines the curvature of space.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With Carrie Ann Inaba being on under the weather, judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were left to their own devices — leading to some unexpected and hilarious moments.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
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Your point about being present reminds me of the scene where Jack judges the girl for taking a selfie on the rooftop and Heather calls him out.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Usually, a person's immune system gets active when there's a threat in the body, but then settles once that threat is gone.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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The next motion settles an ongoing lawsuit between the firefighters’ union and the city.—
Alexis Martin,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rules (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rules%20%28on%29. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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