ruling 1 of 3

noun

ˈrü-liŋ How to pronounce ruling (audio)
Definition of rulingnext
1
as in sentence
a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard the controversial ruling by the state's supreme court caused an uproar

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2
as in decree
an order publicly issued by an authority the FCC's ruling regarding the broadcasting of obscenities

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ruling

2 of 3

adjective

as in prevailing
held by or applicable to a majority of the people the ruling opinion on premarital sex

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ruling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of rule
1
as in governing
to exercise authority or power over a sea captain who ruled his ship sternly but justly

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2
as in controlling
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ruling
Noun
Benjamin Hanna, a visiting superior court judge, issued a ruling last Thursday that granted Willows’ request for a temporary restraining order against the county. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026 That ruling, issued by the Court last month, expanded the President’s power to fire the leaders of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission at will. — Connor Greene, Time, 10 July 2026
Adjective
Mali’s ruling junta responded to an al-Qaida affiliate’s fuel blockade by shuttering all schools until mid-November, the latest sign of instability in the West African country. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2025 How would the new ruling impact DACA recipients and first-time applicants? — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
In an unstable industry with IP, nepotism and maybe even now artificial intelligence ruling supreme, Ridd and Boa have doubled down on emerging filmmakers with original stories. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 That latter track missed out on ruling the Billboard Global Excl. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ruling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruling
  1. sentence
  2. decree
  3. prevailing
  4. governing
  5. controlling
  6. verdict
  7. edict
  8. general
Noun
  • One of them, a 25-year-old Antioch man, is serving a prison sentence in an unrelated Walnut Creek shooting.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 July 2026
  • Martin declined to make a statement before his sentence was announced.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
Definition of sentence
Noun
  • While the threshold sparked debate, the decree offers financial incentives for parties to merge by discounting registration fees for coalitions and alliances.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
  • Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued the decree on Thursday, calling for the election to be held in all of the Palestinian Territories.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 July 2026
Definition of decree
Adjective
  • The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.
    — Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of prevailing
Verb
  • An international force meant to secure parts of Gaza – and allow for the NCAG to begin governing – has yet to materialize.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • But Persad-Bissessar, who left that summit early, argues the decision violated the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the agreement governing the bloc known as CARICOM.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of governing
Verb
  • Sacramento dominated the game on the stat sheet, controlling 65% of the possession and outpassing Boise by a 2-to-1 margin.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 12 July 2026
  • Managing those demands — simplifying decisions, controlling tempo and conserving energy — may be as much a feature of playing in the heat as the physical strain itself.
    — Alan McCall, New York Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of controlling
Noun
  • Kunst said given the Vatican’s usual summer slowing of operations and eventual closure for the month of August, the earliest the verdict would appear is September given that nothing materialized by the end of last month.
    — Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
  • Trump listed the verdict as a liability in his 2025 financial disclosure report released last month.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 8 July 2026
Definition of verdict
Noun
  • Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse The highly agile Getty shooter Alan Crowhurst has done us a great favor by bringing concrete cloakroom evidence of the many social and administrative challenges that the (famous) Royal Ascot costume edicts require in order to be properly met.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
  • The memorandum includes a pledge by Iran to never purchase or construct nuclear weapons — a vow the Islamic Republic has made multiple times before, including by signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a religious edict issued by the late supreme leader and in the Obama-era nuclear accord.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Definition of edict
Adjective
  • Others, like Chevanni Davids, a 33-year-old South African man living in Bali, use them to maintain a general sense of well-being.
    — Shelby Hartman, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Ukraine's military general staff said Monday that the strike caused a fire at the facility, which is situated nearly 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) from Ukrainian territory and close to Russia's border with Kazakhstan.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of general

Browse Nearby Words

rules out
ruling
ruling (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ruling for Spanish Speakers

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