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
-
That’s if his county decides to enact a sales tax, the proceeds of which would have to be applied to homeowner property tax credits.—
Meghan O'Brien,
States Newsroom,
27 Feb. 2026 -
Under Arizona rules, the person who claims the prize is the person who signs the ticket, but if the court decides the ticket legally belongs to Circle K, the company could argue that it be awarded the prize.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But according to Vana, Amazon determines the order of search results using a formula that considers many factors, including the number of reviews and the average rating — suggesting that more reviews and higher ratings help get a seller's products placed higher in search results.—
James Doubek,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The company, in consultation with the seller and their agent and after a home inspection, determines a fair selling price.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Herzog never judges or condescends to Treadwell, even if his involvement in documenting the fallout becomes increasingly complicated.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Alongside him, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will return for their second year as a trio.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And while the first half of this season felt overstuffed with subplots, its second half settles more evenly into all of them, including the woes and romances of both London’s elite and its more lower-class members.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Over time, that greasy film that settles on your wood cabinets can trap dirt and dust, making the buildup hard to remove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
