rule

ground ~s

Before we started the project, the manager laid out some ground rules for everyone to follow.

absolute, hard and fast

My parents have absolute rules about screen time before bedtime.

simple

The school has simple rules that all students must follow every day.

petty

The manager was always complaining about petty rules that nobody really followed.

set

The school established a new set of rules for students to follow in the hallways.

abide by, adhere to, follow, go by, obey, observe, play by, stick to

Most successful students stick to the school's rules even when teachers aren't watching.

be in line with, conform to

Her homework assignment was in line with the teacher's strict rules about formatting.

be in breach of, break, disregard, fall foul of, flout, violate

The company was fined heavily for flouting safety rules at their factory.

apply, enforce

The school enforces strict rules about mobile phones in classrooms.

bend, relax

The teacher decided to relax the rules about late homework submissions during exam week.

tighten up

After several accidents, the school decided to tighten up the rules about student safety.

be bound by, be fettered by, be governed by

All employees are bound by the company's strict safety rules.

interpret, understand

The teacher explained that students needed to understand the classroom rules before the first day of school.

provide sth, say sth, state sth, stipulate sth

The new safety regulations state that all employees must wear protective equipment in the factory.

govern sth

The new safety regulations governing workplace conduct were announced last week.

allow (for) sth, permit sth

School rules permit students to leave early if they have a doctor's appointment.

limit sth, restrict sth

The new safety rules restrict how many people can enter the building at once.

book

The team's rule book clearly states that all players must arrive thirty minutes before the game starts.

according to the ~s

The teacher explained that according to the rules, students must arrive on time for class.

against/contrary to the ~s

Students who arrive late to class are acting contrary to the school rules.

in accordance with the ~s

The company hired new employees in accordance with the rules set by the government.

outside the ~s

His creative teaching methods were sometimes considered outside the rules by traditionalists.

under a/the ~

The students had to wear uniforms under the new rule introduced by the headmaster.

within the ~s

The coach insisted that all players stay within the rules during the match.

~ about/concerning/on/regarding/relating to

The company has strict rules regarding employee conduct and workplace safety.

~ for

What's the rule for joining the club, and do new members need to pay a fee?

~ of

Children must learn the rules of good behavior before starting school.

general

As a general rule, it's best to arrive at least ten minutes early for appointments.

as a ~

As a rule, I drink coffee every morning before checking my emails.

be the rule

It is the rule that students must arrive at class on time.

emergency

The government declared emergency rule after the natural disaster destroyed most of the city.

mob

A mob rule took over the city streets during the angry protest last night.

under ~

Many people suffered greatly while living under strict rule during that difficult period.

the rule of law

Countries with strong the rule of law tend to have stable governments and fair courts.

by

The king decided to rule by listening to advice from his wisest counselors.

over

The king's eldest daughter will rule over the kingdom after his retirement.

altogether, categorically, completely, definitely, entirely, firmly, totally

We can't completely rule out the possibility that she forgot about the meeting.

effectively

The injury effectively ruled out the star player for the rest of the season.

automatically

A criminal conviction automatically rules out your application for a police officer position.

as

The doctor ruled out diabetes as the cause of his weight loss.