as in to decide
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 rule (on)
Verb
-
When Henry decides that Cromwell will follow Anne Boleyn to the Tower, the two men don’t face off or exchange their grievances or relive their past together.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2025 -
Conrad and Harry decide a meeting should be set up with Richie before things get out of hand.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The election will determine the ideological balance of the highest state court.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Those additional tariffs vary and were determined by looking at the rules in those countries around U.S. exports, according to the White House.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The couple had eventually settled in the UAE after emigrating from Iran in the revolution’s wake.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Hunter-gatherers first settled there more than 6,000 years ago.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
That culminated with Richardson being the most pivotal pick of Ballard’s nine-year tenure, and if he’s judged by that selection more than all of the others, that’s what comes with the territory after not finding an answer sooner.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The whiskeys are judged on appearance, nose, taste, finish, balance, character, and complexity.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
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
“Rule (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20%28on%29. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share