as in principles
formal
a statement by an authority of how people should behave
the moral precepts of a religion
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Recent Examples of precepts
To speak in the register of faith—not a particular sect or even God, but a grounding belief in a higher order—is to reach beyond partisanship, to try to return to basic moral precepts.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Some precepts are unassuming — practice tolerance, be generous towards those in need, regard humanity as a family.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Rival Dillard’s, a primarily Southern and Southwestern chain with 290 stores, has also seen modest growth by following those basic retail precepts.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Change is inevitable, but the rapid destruction of the basic precepts upon which our government was formed is beyond dangerous.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Some precepts are unassuming — practice tolerance, be generous towards those in need, regard humanity as a family.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Rival Dillard’s, a primarily Southern and Southwestern chain with 290 stores, has also seen modest growth by following those basic retail precepts.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Change is inevitable, but the rapid destruction of the basic precepts upon which our government was formed is beyond dangerous.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precepts
Noun
-
Property taxes are based on property values, not income.—
Joe Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Millions of people watch the Olympic Games, and every logo shown on screen sends a message about what aligns with Olympic values, and what the Olympic movement chooses to endorse.—
Ukaleq Slettemark,
Time,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There are rules about a team winning too often, and the Hawks have picked in the top three for three straight years.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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But talking about identity has ever-shifting rules and hierarchies that amount to bear-traps that can spring at any time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The walls are papered with Venmo codes for donations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
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The other important part is whether building and fire codes allow the type of structure that makes sense for the site.—
Waleed Albakry,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His preference would be to find simpler axioms for quantum mechanics — intuitive principles that would let theorists re-derive the theory in a new form altogether.—
Daniel Garisto,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Maybe anyone planning long journeys should take those maxims as advice anyhow.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The rest of the book is spent expanding on these maxims one by one, in her colloquial, easy style, with references to classic psychological studies, her own research and her own experiences.—
Lamorna Ash,
The Dial,
25 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Often, competitive incentives offered by state governments, state laws that are less friendly to labor unions than many northern states and access to major transportation networks are among the reasons behind the industry’s rise in the South.—
Brian Moody,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Precepts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precepts. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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