: an official or authoritative decision, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a point of law)
1
a
: exerting power or authority
the ruling party
b
: chief, predominating
a ruling passion
2
: generally prevailing
Synonyms
Examples of ruling in a Sentence
Noun
The decision overturns the Supreme Court's earlier ruling.
She disputed the referee's ruling.
Adjective
members of the ruling class
the ruling opinion on premarital sex
Recent Examples on the Web
Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Weinstein’s legal team lauded the court’s ruling at a news conference in Manhattan.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Although the ruling in Muldrow v. St. Louis was heralded as good news for workers, attorneys say it may also be used by anti-DEI groups to target corporate diversity programs, creating another compliance headache for HR in the process.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, the organization’s two affiliates in Missouri, on Wednesday pointed to court rulings that found previous attempts to defund the organization were unconstitutional.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
The White House believes additional evidentiary findings are necessary in order to make a final ruling.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 23 Apr. 2024
The legislation is intended to override a Supreme Court ruling last year that deemed the plan to send asylum seekers to the African nation unlawful.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The judges give Trump until Feb. 12 to ask the Supreme Court to pause their decision.
Feb. 12: Trump seeks emergency relief from the Supreme Court, asking the justices to pause the D.C. Circuit's ruling.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
The high court’s ruling, likely to land in late June, has the potential to undo the convictions and sentences of those who have already gone to trial or pleaded guilty, and upend the charges still pending for many more.
—Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 28 Nov. 2023
Following the death of her cousin Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, Queen Margrethe became Europe's only ruling female monarch.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
The increase in angry partisanship and polarization is making ruling coalitions more fragile, and governance all the more difficult.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023
While critics called the ruling legal nonsense, the Kremlin appears to be banking on global homophobia as a unifying ideology that will align intolerant countries — particularly in the Middle East and Africa — against the liberal West.
—Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023
The royal became the longest-serving European sovereign and the only ruling female monarch in Europe following the death of her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, in September at the age of 96.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
Congress spent a lot of time asking him about affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party — China’s sole ruling political party.
—Alex Cranz, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2023
The Chinese armed forces are unique in that they are led by the ruling political party, rather than its members swearing an oath to defend the country or a constitution.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2023
Queen Margrethe became the longest-serving European sovereign and the only ruling female monarch following the death of her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II in September.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2023
Noun
The ruling Thursday means that the charges in New York will go back to square one.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Weinstein’s legal team lauded the court’s ruling at a news conference in Manhattan.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Although the ruling in Muldrow v. St. Louis was heralded as good news for workers, attorneys say it may also be used by anti-DEI groups to target corporate diversity programs, creating another compliance headache for HR in the process.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024
Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, the organization’s two affiliates in Missouri, on Wednesday pointed to court rulings that found previous attempts to defund the organization were unconstitutional.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
The White House believes additional evidentiary findings are necessary in order to make a final ruling.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 23 Apr. 2024
The legislation is intended to override a Supreme Court ruling last year that deemed the plan to send asylum seekers to the African nation unlawful.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The judges give Trump until Feb. 12 to ask the Supreme Court to pause their decision.
Feb. 12: Trump seeks emergency relief from the Supreme Court, asking the justices to pause the D.C. Circuit's ruling.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024
The high court’s ruling, likely to land in late June, has the potential to undo the convictions and sentences of those who have already gone to trial or pleaded guilty, and upend the charges still pending for many more.
—Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Yet Taiwan was considered the ideal place to sample regional Chinese cuisine at the time, both because of what the ruling political elite consumed and the many traditions and techniques brought by recent immigrants to the nation.
—Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 28 Nov. 2023
Following the death of her cousin Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, Queen Margrethe became Europe's only ruling female monarch.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
The increase in angry partisanship and polarization is making ruling coalitions more fragile, and governance all the more difficult.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023
While critics called the ruling legal nonsense, the Kremlin appears to be banking on global homophobia as a unifying ideology that will align intolerant countries — particularly in the Middle East and Africa — against the liberal West.
—Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023
The royal became the longest-serving European sovereign and the only ruling female monarch in Europe following the death of her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, in September at the age of 96.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
Congress spent a lot of time asking him about affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party — China’s sole ruling political party.
—Alex Cranz, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2023
The Chinese armed forces are unique in that they are led by the ruling political party, rather than its members swearing an oath to defend the country or a constitution.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2023
Queen Margrethe became the longest-serving European sovereign and the only ruling female monarch following the death of her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II in September.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ruling
Cite this Entry
“Ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruling. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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