| controllable | | |
| adj. | 1. controllable, governable | capable of being controlled. |
| ~ manageable | capable of being managed or controlled. |
| decree | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. decree, edict, fiat, order, rescript | 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" |
| ~ act, enactment | a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body. |
| ~ consent decree | an agreement between two parties that is sanctioned by the court; for example, a company might agree to stop certain questionable practices without admitting guilt. |
| ~ curfew | an order that after a specific time certain activities (as being outside on the streets) are prohibited. |
| ~ decree nisi | a decree issued on a first petition for divorce; becomes absolute at some later date. |
| ~ imperial decree | a decree issued by a sovereign ruler. |
| ~ judicial separation, legal separation | a judicial decree regulating the rights and responsibilities of a married couple living apart. |
| ~ programma | an edict that has been publicly posted. |
| ~ ban, proscription, prohibition | a decree that prohibits something. |
| ~ stay | a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted.; "the Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunction pending an appeal to the whole Court" |
| ~ papal bull, bull | a formal proclamation issued by the pope (usually written in antiquated characters and sealed with a leaden bulla). |
| ~ law, jurisprudence | the collection of rules imposed by authority.; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" |
| v. (communication) | 2. decree | issue a decree.; "The King only can decree" |
| ~ ordain | issue an order. |
| ~ declare | state emphatically and authoritatively.; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" |
| ~ enact, ordain | order by virtue of superior authority; decree.; "The King ordained the persecution and expulsion of the Jews"; "the legislature enacted this law in 1985" |
| v. (cognition) | 3. decree, rule | decide with authority.; "The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed" |
| ~ decide, make up one's mind, determine | reach, make, or come to a decision about something.; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" |
| ~ override, overrule, overthrow, overturn, reverse | rule against.; "The Republicans were overruled when the House voted on the bill" |
| ~ rule in, rule out | include or exclude by determining judicially or in agreement with rules. |
| enact | | |
| v. (social) | 1. enact, ordain | order by virtue of superior authority; decree.; "The King ordained the persecution and expulsion of the Jews"; "the legislature enacted this law in 1985" |
| ~ decree | issue a decree.; "The King only can decree" |
| ~ reenact | enact again.; "Congress reenacted the law" |
| ~ legislate, pass | make laws, bills, etc. or bring into effect by legislation.; "They passed the amendment"; "We cannot legislate how people spend their free time" |
| v. (creation) | 2. act out, enact, reenact | act out; represent or perform as if in a play.; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day" |
| ~ act, play, represent | play a role or part.; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master" |
| govern | | |
| v. (social) | 1. govern, order, regularise, regularize, regulate | bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations.; "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate" |
| ~ standardize, standardise | cause to conform to standard or norm.; "The weights and measures were standardized" |
| ~ decide, make up one's mind, determine | reach, make, or come to a decision about something.; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations" |
| ~ district, zone | regulate housing in; of certain areas of towns. |
| v. (social) | 2. govern | direct or strongly influence the behavior of.; "His belief in God governs his conduct" |
| ~ control, command | exercise authoritative control or power over.; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces" |
| v. (social) | 3. govern, rule | exercise authority over; as of nations.; "Who is governing the country now?" |
| ~ control, command | exercise authoritative control or power over.; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces" |
| ~ throne | sit on the throne as a ruler. |
| ~ misgovern | govern badly. |
| ~ dictate | rule as a dictator. |
| ~ reign | have sovereign power.; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time" |
| v. (stative) | 4. govern | require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood.; "most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German" |
| ~ necessitate, need, require, call for, demand, postulate, involve, ask, take | require as useful, just, or proper.; "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent" |
| order | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. order | (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed.; "the British ships dropped anchor and waited for orders from London" |
| ~ plural, plural form | the form of a word that is used to denote more than one. |
| ~ bid, bidding, command, dictation | an authoritative direction or instruction to do something. |
| ~ marching orders | an order from a superior officer for troops to depart. |
| ~ summons | an order to appear in person at a given place and time. |
| ~ word | a verbal command for action.; "when I give the word, charge!" |
| ~ armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine | the military forces of a nation.; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker" |
| n. (attribute) | 2. order, order of magnitude | a degree in a continuum of size or quantity.; "it was on the order of a mile"; "an explosion of a low order of magnitude" |
| ~ magnitude | the property of relative size or extent (whether large or small).; "they tried to predict the magnitude of the explosion"; "about the magnitude of a small pea" |
| n. (state) | 3. order | established customary state (especially of society).; "order ruled in the streets"; "law and order" |
| ~ state | the way something is with respect to its main attributes.; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" |
| ~ civil order, polity | the form of government of a social organization. |
| ~ rule of law | a state of order in which events conform to the law. |
| ~ tranquillity, quiet, tranquility | an untroubled state; free from disturbances. |
| ~ concordance, concord, harmony | a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole. |
| ~ stability | a stable order (especially of society). |
| ~ peace | the state prevailing during the absence of war. |
| n. (group) | 4. order, ordering, ordination | logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements.; "we shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation" |
| ~ bacteria order | an order of bacteria. |
| ~ word order | the order of words in a text. |
| ~ arrangement | an orderly grouping (of things or persons) considered as a unit; the result of arranging.; "a flower arrangement" |
| ~ genetic code | the ordering of nucleotides in DNA molecules that carries the genetic information in living cells. |
| ~ genome | the ordering of genes in a haploid set of chromosomes of a particular organism; the full DNA sequence of an organism.; "the human genome contains approximately three billion chemical base pairs" |
| ~ series | similar things placed in order or happening one after another.; "they were investigating a series of bank robberies" |
| n. (state) | 5. order, orderliness | a condition of regular or proper arrangement.; "he put his desk in order"; "the machine is now in working order" |
| ~ condition, status | a state at a particular time.; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" |
| ~ spit and polish | careful attention to order and appearance (as in the military). |
| ~ kelter, kilter | in working order.; "out of kilter"; "in good kilter" |
| ~ tidiness | the habit of being tidy. |
| n. (communication) | 6. order, purchase order | a commercial document used to request someone to supply something in return for payment and providing specifications and quantities.; "IBM received an order for a hundred computers" |
| ~ commercial document, commercial instrument | a document of or relating to commerce. |
| ~ bill-me order, credit order | an order that is received without payment; requires billing at a later date. |
| ~ indent | an order for goods to be exported or imported. |
| ~ market order | an order to a broker to sell or buy stocks or commodities at the prevailing market price. |
| ~ production order | an order that initiates the manufacturing process. |
| ~ reorder | a repeated order for the same merchandise.; "he's the one who sends out all the new orders and reorders" |
| ~ stop-loss order, stop order | an order to a broker to sell (buy) when the price of a security falls (rises) to a designated level. |
| ~ stop payment | a depositor's order to a bank to refuse payment on a check. |
| ~ mail order | a purchase negotiated by mail. |
| n. (group) | 7. club, gild, guild, lodge, order, social club, society | a formal association of people with similar interests.; "he joined a golf club"; "they formed a small lunch society"; "men from the fraternal order will staff the soup kitchen today" |
| ~ association | a formal organization of people or groups of people.; "he joined the Modern Language Association" |
| ~ athenaeum, atheneum | a literary or scientific association for the promotion of learning. |
| ~ bookclub | a club that people join in order to buy selected books at reduced prices. |
| ~ chapter | a local branch of some fraternity or association.; "he joined the Atlanta chapter" |
| ~ chess club | a club of people to play chess. |
| ~ country club | a suburban club for recreation and socializing. |
| ~ frat, fraternity | a social club for male undergraduates. |
| ~ glee club | a club organized to sing together. |
| ~ golf club | a club of people to play golf. |
| ~ hunt club, hunt | an association of huntsmen who hunt for sport. |
| ~ investors club | a club of small investors who buy and sell securities jointly. |
| ~ jockey club | a club to promote and regulate horse racing. |
| ~ racket club | club for players of racket sports. |
| ~ rowing club | a club for rowers. |
| ~ slate club | a group of people who save money in a common fund for a specific purpose (usually distributed at Christmas). |
| ~ sorority | a social club for female undergraduates. |
| ~ turnverein | a club of tumblers or gymnasts. |
| ~ boat club, yacht club | club that promotes and supports yachting and boating. |
| ~ service club | a club of professional or business people organized for their coordination and active in public services. |
| ~ club member | someone who is a member of a club. |
| n. (communication) | 8. order, parliamentary law, parliamentary procedure, rules of order | a body of rules followed by an assembly. |
| ~ prescript, rule | prescribed guide for conduct or action. |
| ~ interpellation | (parliament) a parliamentary procedure of demanding that a government official explain some act or policy. |
| ~ standing order | a rule of order permanently in force. |
| ~ cloture, gag law, gag rule, closure | a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body. |
| ~ point of order | a question as to whether the current proceedings are allowed by parliamentary procedure. |
| ~ previous question | a motion calling for an immediate vote on the main question under discussion by a deliberative assembly. |
| ~ mover, proposer | (parliamentary procedure) someone who makes a formal motion. |
| ~ robert's rules of order | a book of rules for presiding over a meeting; written by Henry M. Martin in 1876 and subsequently updated through many editions. |
| n. (state) | 9. holy order, order | (usually plural) the status or rank or office of a Christian clergyman in an ecclesiastical hierarchy.; "theologians still disagree over whether `bishop' should or should not be a separate Order" |
| ~ acolyte | someone who assists a priest or minister in a liturgical service; a cleric ordained in the highest of the minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church but not in the Anglican Church or the Eastern Orthodox Churches. |
| ~ anagnost | a cleric in the minor orders of the Eastern Orthodox Church who reads the lessons aloud in the liturgy (analogous to the lector in the Roman Catholic Church). |
| ~ deacon | a cleric ranking just below a priest in Christian churches; one of the Holy Orders. |
| ~ ostiarius, ostiary, doorkeeper | the lowest of the minor Holy Orders in the unreformed Western Church but now suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church. |
| ~ exorcist | one of the minor orders in the unreformed Western Church but now suppressed in the Roman Catholic Church. |
| ~ lector, reader | someone who reads the lessons in a church service; someone ordained in a minor order of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| ~ priest | a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders. |
| ~ subdeacon | a clergyman an order below deacon; one of the Holy Orders in the unreformed western Christian church and the eastern Catholic Churches but now suppressed in the Roman Catholic Church. |
| ~ status, position | the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society.; "he had the status of a minor"; "the novel attained the status of a classic"; "atheists do not enjoy a favorable position in American life" |
| n. (group) | 10. monastic order, order | a group of person living under a religious rule.; "the order of Saint Benedict" |
| ~ augustinian order | any of several monastic orders observing a rule derived from the writings of St. Augustine. |
| ~ benedictine order, order of saint benedict | a Roman Catholic monastic order founded in the 6th century; noted for liturgical worship and for scholarly activities. |
| ~ carmelite order, order of our lady of mount carmel | a Roman Catholic mendicant order founded in the 12th century. |
| ~ carthusian order | an austere contemplative Roman Catholic order founded by St. Bruno in 1084. |
| ~ dominican order | a Roman Catholic order of mendicant preachers founded in the 13th century. |
| ~ franciscan order | a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. |
| ~ jesuit order, society of jesus | a Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534 to defend Catholicism against the Reformation and to do missionary work among the heathen; it is strongly committed to education and scholarship. |
| ~ religious order, religious sect, sect | a subdivision of a larger religious group. |
| n. (group) | 11. order | (biology) taxonomic group containing one or more families. |
| ~ animal order | the order of animals. |
| ~ protoctist order | the order of protoctists. |
| ~ biological science, biology | the science that studies living organisms. |
| ~ taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group | animal or plant group having natural relations. |
| ~ class | (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders. |
| ~ suborder | (biology) taxonomic group that is a subdivision of an order. |
| ~ family | (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera.; "sharks belong to the fish family" |
| ~ plant order | the order of plants. |
| ~ fungus order | the order of fungi. |
| n. (communication) | 12. order | a request for something to be made, supplied, or served.; "I gave the waiter my order"; "the company's products were in such demand that they got more orders than their call center could handle" |
| ~ asking, request | the verbal act of requesting. |
| ~ short order | an order for food that can be prepared quickly. |
| n. (attribute) | 13. order | (architecture) one of original three styles of Greek architecture distinguished by the type of column and entablature used or a style developed from the original three by the Romans. |
| ~ dorian order, doric order | the oldest and simplest of the Greek orders and the only one that normally has no base. |
| ~ ionian order, ionic order | the second Greek order; the capital is decorated with spiral scrolls. |
| ~ corinthian order | the last Greek order; similar to the Ionic order except the capital is decorated with carvings of acanthus leaves. |
| ~ composite order | a Roman order that combines the Corinthian acanthus leaves with the spiral scrolls of the Ionic order. |
| ~ tuscan order | a Roman order that resembles the Doric order but without a fluted shaft. |
| ~ artistic style, idiom | the style of a particular artist or school or movement.; "an imaginative orchestral idiom" |
| ~ architecture | the discipline dealing with the principles of design and construction and ornamentation of fine buildings.; "architecture and eloquence are mixed arts whose end is sometimes beauty and sometimes use" |
| n. (act) | 14. order, ordering | the act of putting things in a sequential arrangement.; "there were mistakes in the ordering of items on the list" |
| ~ organisation, organization | the activity or result of distributing or disposing persons or things properly or methodically.; "his organization of the work force was very efficient" |
| ~ rank order | an arrangement according to rank. |
| ~ grading, scaling | the act of arranging in a graduated series. |
| ~ succession, sequence | the action of following in order.; "he played the trumps in sequence" |
| ~ layout | the act of laying out (as by making plans for something). |
| ~ alphabetisation, alphabetization | the act of putting in alphabetical order. |
| v. (communication) | 15. enjoin, order, say, tell | give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed" |
| ~ direct | command with authority.; "He directed the children to do their homework" |
| ~ instruct | give instructions or directions for some task.; "She instructed the students to work on their pronunciation" |
| ~ command, require | make someone do something. |
| ~ request | ask (a person) to do something.; "She asked him to be here at noon"; "I requested that she type the entire manuscript" |
| ~ send for, call | order, request, or command to come.; "She was called into the director's office"; "Call the police!" |
| ~ warn | ask to go away.; "The old man warned the children off his property" |
| v. (communication) | 16. order | make a request for something.; "Order me some flowers"; "order a work stoppage" |
| ~ reorder | make a new request to be supplied with.; "The store had to reorder the popular CD several times" |
| ~ place | to arrange for.; "place a phone call"; "place a bet" |
| ~ call for, request, bespeak, quest | express the need or desire for; ask for.; "She requested an extra bed in her room"; "She called for room service" |
| ~ call | order or request or give a command for.; "The unions called a general strike for Sunday" |
| ~ wish | order politely; express a wish for. |
| ~ commission | place an order for. |
| v. (communication) | 17. dictate, order, prescribe | issue commands or orders for. |
| ~ inflict, impose, bring down, visit | impose something unpleasant.; "The principal visited his rage on the students" |
| ~ mandate | make mandatory.; "the new director of the school board mandated regular tests" |
| v. (change) | 18. order | bring order to or into.; "Order these files" |
| ~ clean up, neaten, square away, tidy, tidy up, straighten, straighten out | put (things or places) in order.; "Tidy up your room!" |
| ~ systematise, systematize, systemise, systemize | arrange according to a system or reduce to a system.; "systematize our scientific knowledge" |
| ~ collate | to assemble in proper sequence.; "collate the papers" |
| ~ unsnarl, disentangle, straighten out | extricate from entanglement.; "Can you disentangle the cord?" |
| ~ arrange, set up | put into a proper or systematic order.; "arrange the books on the shelves in chronological order" |
| v. (change) | 19. order | place in a certain order.; "order the photos chronologically" |
| ~ arrange, set up | put into a proper or systematic order.; "arrange the books on the shelves in chronological order" |
| v. (social) | 20. consecrate, ordain, order, ordinate | appoint to a clerical posts.; "he was ordained in the Church" |
| ~ enthrone, vest, invest | provide with power and authority.; "They vested the council with special rights" |
| v. (cognition) | 21. arrange, order, put, set up | arrange thoughts, ideas, temporal events.; "arrange my schedule"; "set up one's life"; "I put these memories with those of bygone times" |
| ~ contemporise, contemporize, synchronise, synchronize | arrange or represent events so that they co-occur.; "synchronize biblical events" |
| ~ phrase | divide, combine, or mark into phrases.; "phrase a musical passage" |
| ~ organize, organise | cause to be structured or ordered or operating according to some principle or idea. |
| v. (cognition) | 22. grade, order, place, range, rank, rate | assign a rank or rating to.; "how would you rank these students?"; "The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide" |
| ~ superordinate | place in a superior order or rank.; "These two notions are superordinated to a third" |
| ~ shortlist | put someone or something on a short list. |
| ~ seed | distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds. |
| ~ reorder | assign a new order to. |
| ~ subordinate | rank or order as less important or consider of less value.; "Art is sometimes subordinated to Science in these schools" |
| ~ prioritise, prioritize | assign a priority to.; "we have too many things to do and must prioritize" |
| ~ sequence | arrange in a sequence. |
| ~ downgrade | rate lower; lower in value or esteem. |
| ~ upgrade | rate higher; raise in value or esteem. |
| ~ pass judgment, evaluate, judge | form a critical opinion of.; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?"; "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" |
| rule | | |
| n. (cognition) | 1. regulation, rule | a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior.; "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation" |
| ~ concept, conception, construct | an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances. |
| ~ limitation, restriction | a principle that limits the extent of something.; "I am willing to accept certain restrictions on my movements" |
| ~ guidepost, rule of thumb, guideline | a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior. |
| ~ cy pres, cy pres doctrine, rule of cy pres | a rule that when literal compliance is impossible the intention of a donor or testator should be carried out as nearly as possible. |
| ~ working principle, working rule | a rule that is adequate to permit work to be done. |
| n. (cognition) | 2. convention, formula, normal, pattern, rule | 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" |
| ~ practice | knowledge of how something is usually done.; "it is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner" |
| ~ mores | (sociology) the conventions that embody the fundamental values of a group. |
| ~ code of behavior, code of conduct | a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group. |
| ~ universal | a behavioral convention or pattern characteristic of all members of a particular culture or of all human beings.; "some form of religion seems to be a human universal" |
| n. (communication) | 3. prescript, rule | prescribed guide for conduct or action. |
| ~ bylaw | a rule adopted by an organization in order to regulate its own affairs and the behavior of its members. |
| ~ rubric | an authoritative rule of conduct or procedure. |
| ~ parliamentary law, parliamentary procedure, rules of order, order | a body of rules followed by an assembly. |
| ~ rule of evidence | (law) a rule of law whereby any alleged matter of fact that is submitted for investigation at a judicial trial is established or disproved. |
| ~ miranda rule | the rule that police (when interrogating you after an arrest) are obliged to warn you that anything you say may be used as evidence and to read you your constitutional rights (the right to a lawyer and the right to remain silent until advised by a lawyer). |
| ~ precept, principle | rule of personal conduct. |
| ~ golden rule | any important rule.; "the golden rule of teaching is to be clear" |
| ~ gigo | (computer science) a rule stating that the quality of the output is a function of the quality of the input; put garbage in and you get garbage out. |
| ~ dictate | an authoritative rule. |
| ~ ordinance, regulation | an authoritative rule. |
| ~ canon | 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" |
| ~ etiquette | rules governing socially acceptable behavior. |
| ~ communications protocol, protocol | (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data. |
| ~ instruction, direction | a message describing how something is to be done.; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" |
| ~ rule book, book | a collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made.; "they run things by the book around here" |
| n. (communication) | 4. linguistic rule, rule | (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice. |
| ~ concept, conception, construct | an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances. |
| ~ linguistics | the scientific study of language. |
| ~ linguistic universal, universal | (linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages. |
| ~ grammatical rule, rule of grammar | a linguistic rule for the syntax of grammatical utterances. |
| ~ morphological rule, rule of morphology | a linguistic rule for the formation of words. |
| n. (cognition) | 5. principle, rule | 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" |
| ~ generalisation, generality, generalization | an idea or conclusion having general application.; "he spoke in broad generalities" |
| ~ pillar | a fundamental principle or practice.; "science eroded the pillars of superstition" |
| ~ yang | the bright positive masculine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology.; "yin and yang together produce everything that comes into existence" |
| ~ yin | the dark negative feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology.; "the interaction of yin and yang maintains the harmony of the universe" |
| ~ feng shui | rules in Chinese philosophy that govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of yin and yang and the flow of energy (qi); the favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into consideration in designing and siting buildings and graves and furniture. |
| n. (time) | 6. rule | the duration of a monarch's or government's power.; "during the rule of Elizabeth" |
| ~ duration, continuance | the period of time during which something continues. |
| ~ regency | the period from 1811-1820 when the Prince of Wales was regent during George III's periods of insanity. |
| ~ regency | the period of time during which a regent governs. |
| n. (state) | 7. dominion, rule | dominance or power through legal authority.; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar" |
| ~ ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, dominance, control | the state that exists when one person or group has power over another.; "her apparent dominance of her husband was really her attempt to make him pay attention to her" |
| ~ paramountcy | the state of being paramount; the highest rank or authority. |
| ~ raj | British dominion over India (1757-1947). |
| ~ sovereignty, reign | royal authority; the dominion of a monarch. |
| ~ suzerainty | the position or authority of a suzerain.; "under the suzerainty of..." |
| n. (communication) | 8. rule | directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted.; "he knew the rules of chess" |
| ~ instruction, direction | a message describing how something is to be done.; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" |
| ~ ground rule | (baseball) a special rule (as in baseball) dealing with situations that arise due to the nature of the playing grounds. |
| ~ rule book, book | a collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made.; "they run things by the book around here" |
| n. (communication) | 9. rule | any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order.; "the rule of St. Dominic" |
| ~ instruction, direction | a message describing how something is to be done.; "he gave directions faster than she could follow them" |
| n. (cognition) | 10. principle, rule | 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" |
| ~ law of nature, law | a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature.; "the laws of thermodynamics" |
| ~ gestalt law of organization, gestalt principle of organization | a principle of Gestalt psychology that identifies factors leading to particular forms of perceptual organization. |
| ~ le chatelier's law, le chatelier's principle, le chatelier-braun principle, le chatelier principle | the principle that if any change is imposed on a system that is in equilibrium then the system tends to adjust to a new equilibrium counteracting the change. |
| ~ gresham's law | (economics) the principle that when two kinds of money having the same denominational value are in circulation the intrinsically more valuable money will be hoarded and the money of lower intrinsic value will circulate more freely until the intrinsically more valuable money is driven out of circulation; bad money drives out good; credited to Sir Thomas Gresham. |
| ~ mass-energy equivalence | (physics) the principle that a measured quantity of mass is equivalent (according to relativity theory) to a measured quantity of energy. |
| ~ naegele's rule | rule for calculating an expected delivery date; subtract three months from the first day of the last menstrual period and add seven days to that date. |
| ~ law of parsimony, occam's razor, ockham's razor, principle of parsimony | the principle that entities should not be multiplied needlessly; the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred. |
| ~ principle of equivalence | (physics) the principle that an observer has no way of distinguishing whether his laboratory is in a uniform gravitational field or is in an accelerated frame of reference. |
| ~ principle of liquid displacement | (hydrostatics) the volume of a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the volume of the displaced fluid. |
| ~ huygens' principle of superposition, principle of superposition | the displacement of any point due to the superposition of wave systems is equal to the sum of the displacements of the individual waves at that point.; "the principle of superposition is the basis of the wave theory of light" |
| ~ principle of superposition, superposition principle, superposition | (geology) the principle that in a series of stratified sedimentary rocks the lowest stratum is the oldest. |
| ~ mass-action principle, mass action | (neurology) the principle that the cortex of the brain operates as a coordinated system with large masses of neural tissue involved in all complex functioning. |
| ~ localisation, localisation of function, localisation principle, localization of function, localization principle, localization | (physiology) the principle that specific functions have relatively circumscribed locations in some particular part or organ of the body. |
| n. (cognition) | 11. formula, rule | (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems.; "he determined the upper bound with Descartes' rule of signs"; "he gave us a general formula for attacking polynomials" |
| ~ procedure, process | a particular course of action intended to achieve a result.; "the procedure of obtaining a driver's license"; "it was a process of trial and error" |
| ~ metarule | a rule that describes how other rules should be used (as in AI). |
| ~ algorithm, algorithmic program, algorithmic rule | a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem. |
| ~ heuristic, heuristic program, heuristic rule | a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem. |
| ~ recursion | (mathematics) an expression such that each term is generated by repeating a particular mathematical operation. |
| ~ math, mathematics, maths | a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement. |
| n. (artifact) | 12. rule, ruler | 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. |
| ~ carpenter's rule | a rule used by a carpenter. |
| ~ foot rule | a ruler one foot long. |
| ~ measuring rod, measuring stick, measure | measuring instrument having a sequence of marks at regular intervals; used as a reference in making measurements. |
| ~ meterstick, metrestick | a rule one meter long (usually marked off in centimeters and millimeters). |
| ~ yard measure, yardstick | a ruler or tape that is three feet long. |
| v. (stative) | 13. dominate, predominate, prevail, reign, rule | be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance.; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood" |
| ~ override | prevail over.; "health considerations override financial concerns" |
| ~ overarch | be central or dominant.; "This scene overarches the entire first act" |
| ~ outbalance, overbalance, preponderate, outweigh | weigh more heavily.; "these considerations outweigh our wishes" |
| v. (communication) | 14. find, rule | decide on and make a declaration about.; "find someone guilty" |
| ~ feel, find | come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds.; "I feel that he doesn't like me"; "I find him to be obnoxious"; "I found the movie rather entertaining" |
| ~ pronounce, label, judge | pronounce judgment on.; "They labeled him unfit to work here" |
| v. (stative) | 15. rule | have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac. |
| ~ accompany, attach to, come with, go with | be present or associated with an event or entity.; "French fries come with the hamburger"; "heart attacks are accompanied by distruction of heart tissue"; "fish usually goes with white wine"; "this kind of vein accompanies certain arteries" |
| v. (creation) | 16. rule | mark or draw with a ruler.; "rule the margins" |
| ~ draw | represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface.; "She drew an elephant"; "Draw me a horse" |
| v. (change) | 17. harness, rein, rule | keep in check.; "rule one's temper" |
| ~ confine, limit, throttle, restrain, trammel, bound, restrict | place limits on (extent or access).; "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends" |
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