Rules — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Meaning & Definition of Rules

Rules (noun)

1. a prescribed guide for conduct or action
2. the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members
3. an accepted procedure, custom, or habit
4. a game resembling rugby that is played between two teams of 18 players on a field 180—190 yards long that has four goalposts at each end
5. a legal rule or doctrine that a lawful occupant of a home has no duty to retreat from an intruder when acting in self-defense or in the defense of another in the reasonable belief that they are in danger of death or bodily harm
6. a mathematical rule concerning the differentiation of a function of a function (such as f [u(x)]) by which under suitable conditions of continuity and differentiability one function is differentiated with respect to the second function considered as an independent variable and then the second function is differentiated with respect to its independent variable
7. a formerly used legal test under which a person was not judged responsible for a criminal act that was attributed to a mental disorder
8. a rule that excludes evidence in court proceedings; especially, a rule that bars the use of evidence obtained in violation of a defendant's constitutional rights

Rules (verb)

1. to exert control, direction, or influence on
2. to exercise control over especially by curbing or restraining
3. to exercise authority or power over often harshly or arbitrarily

Rules (phrase)

1. in the way that is most common, expected, and acceptable
2. to change or ignore rules
3. in the way that is most common, expected, and acceptable