as in rules
a statement spelling out the proper procedure or conduct for an activity
before the debate begins, let's lay out some ground rules
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Recent Examples of ground rules
Publishing income sharing agreements exist among major acts in the music business, and platinum-level acts such as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers built their careers by establishing royalty-sharing ground rules at an early stage, thereby avoiding costly litigation and personal conflict later on.
—
Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After reports that Prince Harry had his own list of requests to go on with the reconciliation, there are now rumors that King Charles has his own ground rules, too, for the upcoming meeting.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite going no-contact, the woman finally approached her mother-in-law about establishing some ground rules in order to move forward.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
That’s why new parents should set some grandparenting ground rules as soon as possible to avoid nasty arguments and frayed relationships down the road, according to bestselling author and parenting expert Esther Wojcicki.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
There won’t be a bottom until Americans resurrect some ground rules and enforce them against any violators (even on their own side).
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After reports that Prince Harry had his own list of requests to go on with the reconciliation, there are now rumors that King Charles has his own ground rules, too, for the upcoming meeting.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite going no-contact, the woman finally approached her mother-in-law about establishing some ground rules in order to move forward.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
That’s why new parents should set some grandparenting ground rules as soon as possible to avoid nasty arguments and frayed relationships down the road, according to bestselling author and parenting expert Esther Wojcicki.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
There won’t be a bottom until Americans resurrect some ground rules and enforce them against any violators (even on their own side).
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ground rules
Noun
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The big focus from the new rules are on things related to teams of super heroes.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Charter schools are overseen by independent boards, overwhelmingly, like nonprofit boards of directors that manage the oversight and then follow all or most of the same government rules related to public schools.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In November 2023, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology introduced new social media regulations, requiring platforms to register with the government, set up a local contact point, appoint a grievance officer and designate an oversight official.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, the penalties for companies that do try to operate in the EU under onerous and complex regulations have been hefty.—
David Doty,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Critics argued that such laws were exclusionary in a nation built on immigration.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Asma and other members of the group were taken from their Delhi homes in the evening, but that may be in contravention of Indian laws which say that women cannot be detained after sunset or before sunrise except in certain circumstances.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Programs such as remote patient or therapeutic monitoring can qualify for reimbursement through current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, creating an immediate revenue stream.—
Kent Dicks,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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No codes are needed and access is tied to their Ticketmaster account.—
Regina Cho,
VIBE.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ground rules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ground%20rules. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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