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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rules (on)
Verb
-
Whatever the team decides, Lomu sounds happy to oblige.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026 -
If two of the richest companies in the world are racing to control the sky, who decides how that access is priced and delivered?—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Defendants have a right to have a preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring a case to trial, within 10 business days.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Details of the agreement are expected to be outlined in court during Thursday’s hearing, when Loloee formally admits guilt and the judge determines whether to accept the plea.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reacted to Seacrest’s on-air announcement with a mix of shock and confusion.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 Apr. 2026
-
In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Showers will linger into early Friday, when cooler air settles in.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The latter song exemplifies Martin’s neck-snappingly furious style; his drumming simply never settles.—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
22 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Rules (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rules%20%28on%29. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
