rule

S1 W1

BrE /ruːl/ AmE /ruːl/

noun / verb en → es

past ruled pp ruled ing ruling

1 GOVERNMENT [countable] A2

a law or a set of laws made by a government or organization

regla, ley

  • the rule of law

Collocations traffic rules · school rules

  • The new traffic rules will come into effect next month.

    Las nuevas reglas de tráfico entrarán en vigor el próximo mes.

2 CONTROL [intransitive, T + obj] B1

to control or have power over a country, organization, etc.

gobernar, controlar

  • rule the country
  • be ruled by

Collocations rule a kingdom · ruled by a dictator

  • The king rules his kingdom with an iron fist.

    El rey gobierna su reino con mano de hierro.

3 GUIDELINE [countable] B1

a principle or a general statement that helps you understand how something works or should be done

regla, principio

  • follow the rule

Collocations rule of thumb · mathematical rules

  • The golden rule is to always be honest.

    La regla de oro es siempre ser honesto.

4 DECIDE [transitive] B2

to decide something officially or legally

decidir, establecer

  • rule on a case

Collocations rule the law · rule in favor of

  • The judge ruled that the contract was invalid.

    El juez dictaminó que el contrato era inválido.

5 DOMINATE [intransitive] B2

to be more important or noticeable than other things

dominar, predominar

  • rule over

Collocations rule the market · rule the day

  • The color red rules in this design.

    El color rojo domina en este diseño.

6 MEASURE [countable] A2

a stick or strip used for measuring lengths

regla, escuadra

  • use a ruler

Collocations ruler of inches · measuring rule

  • She used a ruler to measure the length.

    Ella usó una regla para medir la longitud.

7 GUIDANCE [countable] B1

a principle or statement that helps you understand how something works or should be done

regla, principio

  • follow the rule

Collocations rule of thumb · mathematical rules

  • The golden rule is to always be honest.

    La regla de oro es siempre ser honesto.

8 DECISION [countable] B2

a decision made by a judge or court about something in a legal case

dictamen, resolución

  • the rule of the court

Collocations court ruling · legal rule

  • The court's ruling was in favor of the plaintiff.

    El dictamen del tribunal fue a favor de la parte demandante.

Phrasal verbs

rule out EXCLUDE B1

excluir, descartar

  • We can rule out the possibility of a strike.

    Podemos descartar la posibilidad de un paro.

rule over DOMINATE B2

dominar, gobernar

  • The king ruled over his kingdom for 50 years.

    El rey gobernó su reino durante 50 años.

rule in DECIDE FAVORABLY B2

decidir a favor de, incluir

  • The judge ruled the evidence in.

    El juez decidió admitir la evidencia.

rule against DECIDE UNFAVORABLY B2

decidir en contra de, rechazar

  • The court ruled against the defendant.

    El tribunal decidió en contra del acusado.

rule on DECIDE ON CASE B2

dictaminar sobre, decidir sobre

  • The judge will rule on the case next week.

    El juez dictaminará sobre el caso la próxima semana.

Idioms

rule of thumb B2

regla de oro, regla general

  • A good rule of thumb is to save at least 10% of your income.

    Una buena regla de oro es ahorrar al menos el 10% de tu ingreso.

rule the roost B2

mandar en casa, ser el jefe

  • She rules the roost in her family.

    Ella manda en su familia.

rule of law B2

estado de derecho, imperio de la ley

  • The country is moving towards a rule of law.

    El país se está moviendo hacia un estado de derecho.