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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Sympathetic, apparently, to Geralt’s quest to save Ciri, Regis decides to join the gang on the road — though a closing shot of Regis privately savoring the scent of Geralt’s blood on a cloth raises some troubling questions for the show to answer down the road.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025 -
Summary judgment, where the court decides which claims go to trial, will provide a clearer picture.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Programmable metamaterials are engineered so that their structure, not their chemistry, determines their macroscopic properties.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
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And to me, that’s very alien to imagine that the Universe could be not following some laws, that there isn’t some set of rules out there that determines what really happens?—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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Joining judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough this week is former dancing pro Kym Johnson.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Boise and Treasure Valley residents have a chance to enjoy a beautiful fall Friday before a cold front bringing rainy weather and gusty winds settles into Southwest Idaho starting Saturday morning.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
24 Oct. 2025
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But slowly, the truth settles in.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 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 4 Nov. 2025.
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