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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

ruling

2 of 3

adjective

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
The ruling is narrower than what the plaintiffs had requested. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026 However, a contingent of pro-autonomous vehicle backers, many from a group of 29 organizations that advocated on behalf of Waymo to the CPUC, celebrated the expansion ruling. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 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
After six months of war, Iran’s leadership has coalesced around a hard core of military generals and clerics long entrenched in the ruling theocracy. — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 The successful release proved that Linkin Park was here to stay, and also that the nu metal subgenre the band helped popularize at the turn of the century was not done ruling the airwaves. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 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
  • Over the course of Exile, one of Loktev’s subjects is poisoned; another receives a five-year prison sentence in absentia.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • According to The New York Times, she was sentenced to life in prison, with two additional 30-year sentences to run consecutively with her life term.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sentence
Noun
  • The electoral decree only lists the UN sanctions as a reason under which someone can be barred from running for office.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But the president has total discretion on when to issue the decree, so Lula can sit on it as long as is politically convenient.
    — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 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
  • There’s been little movement on the key Democratic demand, an ethics component governing the president and his family, according to two Democratic aides.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unlike its competitors, Hermès is a pre-haute-couture enterprise, founded before the rigid bureaucracy of French fashion was put into place, in the eighteen-sixties, with the establishment of a governing syndicate.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of governing
Verb
  • Western Michigan won the rushing battle and dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • These structures are important for controlling movement and other functions.
    — Claudia Metzler-Baddeley, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of controlling
Noun
  • The public appears to know what’s going on While economists spent two years building models, most Americans seem to have reached a verdict already—not about AI in the abstract, but about the class system at work in the economy.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Commonwealth Attorney Tracy Martin spoke to the media after the verdict.
    — Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of verdict
Noun
  • Many believe Beijing perceived Tung as a loyalist who would obey the Communist leadership’s edicts.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Countless speakers left the Pale of Settlement – the territory in Eastern Europe where Jews had been granted permission to live under an edict of the Russian czars.
    — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of edict
Adjective
  • The widespread belief was Clippers general manager Trent Redden would fill that role, but the team has not publicly revealed its plans.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • That equation represents a much more general concept that can be applied to all sorts of figures and spatial dimensions.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of general

Browse Nearby Words

rules out
ruling
ruling (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All