n. directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess"

n. measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths

n. a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation"

n. a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"

n. a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"

n. prescribed guide for conduct or action

n. dominance or power through legal authority; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar"

n. something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors"

n. a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; "the schools comply with federal standards"; "they set the measure for all subsequent work"

v. have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac

v. decide with authority; "The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed"

v. decide on and make a declaration about; "find someone guilty"

v. mark or draw with a ruler; "rule the margins"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. keep in check; "rule one's temper"

v. be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood"

n. the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group

n. a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy; "the neoclassical canon"; "canons of polite society"

n. rule of personal conduct

n. prescribed guide for conduct or action

n. hand tool consisting of a flat rigid rectangular bar (metal or wood) that can be used to draw straight lines (or test their straightness)

n. measuring instrument consisting of a narrow strip (cloth or metal) marked in inches or centimeters and used for measuring lengths; "the carpenter should have used his tape measure"

n. a ruler or tape that is three feet long

n. any distinct quantity contained in a polynomial; "the general term of an algebraic equation of the n-th degree"

n. a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"

n. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"

n. a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"

n. an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech"

n. a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"

n. an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation

n. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"

n. a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"

n. a vague idea in which some confidence is placed; "his impression of her was favorable"; "what are your feelings about the crisis?"; "it strengthened my belief in his sincerity"; "I had a feeling that she was lying"

n. a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"

n. an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation

n. a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge); "a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there"

n. the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group

n. directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess"

n. (of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power; "being in office already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first year in office"; "during his first year in power"; "the power of the president"

n. freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; "his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority"

n. a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit"

n. great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity; "a good command of French"

n. a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)

n. an established custom; "it was their habit to dine at 7 every evening"

n. a distinguishing quality

n. an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict"

n. the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; "they live by the standards of their community"

n. a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.

v. be a referee or umpire in a sports competition

v. cause to undertake a certain action; "Her greed led her to forge the checks"

v. declare to be; "She was declared incompetent"; "judge held that the defendant was innocent"

v. make a mark or lines on a surface; "draw a line"; "trace the outline of a figure in the sand"

v. set (printed matter) into a specific format; "Format this letter so it can be printed out"

v. bring order to or into; "Order these files"

v. keep in check; "rule one's temper"

v. bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations; "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate"

v. rule a country as a tyrant

v. work in an administrative capacity; supervise; "administer a program"

v. direct the course of; manage or control; "You cannot conduct business like this"

v. be in charge of

v. rule or exercise power over (somebody) in a cruel and autocratic manner; "her husband and mother-in-law tyrannize her"

v. act out; represent or perform as if in a play; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day"

v. put to use; "exert one's power or influence"

v. make subservient; force to submit or subdue

v. watch and direct; "Who is overseeing this project?"

v. be a guiding force, as with directions or advice; "The teacher steered the gifted students towards the more challenging courses"

v. serve as a means for expressing something; "The painting of Mary carries motherly love"; "His voice carried a lot af anger"

v. act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance; "Is anyone volunteering to navigate during the trip?"; "Who was navigating the ship during the accident?"

v. move ahead (of others) in time or space

v. direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.; "She is running a relief operation in the Sudan"

v. stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; "Service runs all the way to Cranbury"; "His knowledge doesn't go very far"; "My memory extends back to my fourth year of life"; "The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets"

v. look down on; "The villa dominates the town"

v. watch and direct; "Who is overseeing this project?"

v. exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"

v. bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations; "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate"

v. lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"

v. be or do something to a greater degree; "her performance surpasses that of any other student I know"; "She outdoes all other athletes"; "This exceeds all my expectations"; "This car outperforms all others in its class"

v. distinguish oneself; "She excelled in math"

v. be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities

v. make impossible, especially beforehand