as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the coach ruled on the question of whether an off-campus bar fight ought to disqualify someone from the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule (on)
Verb
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Monitoring high-level athletes for drug misuse is nothing new, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) surprised many people recently by deciding to track the use of GLP-1 drugs, such as the diabetes and obesity treatments Ozempic (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide).—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Feb. 2026 -
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.—
Staff Reports,
The Providence Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The committee uses 12 criteria to determine who belongs in the field and where teams should be seeded.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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At the door, formidable bouncers determine your fate.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While OpenAI hasn’t yet settled on a way to implement ads for its blockbuster chatbot, an early screenshot the company showed off during its announcement late last year indicates that free-tier users will likely be painfully aware that the company is trying to sell them something.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
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Encased in inflatable shock absorbers, the sphere bounced across the lunar surface like a beach ball, eventually settling and unfolding four petal-like panels to stabilize itself.—
Ilya Ferapontov,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By then, voters will have had years, not months, to judge whether her leadership rests on substance, not just star power.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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The news isn’t great, judging by the conclusions of their study recently published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rule (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20%28on%29. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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