regulation

/ˈrɛgəˌleɪʃən/

/rɛgjəˈleɪʃən/

Other forms: regulations

If you declare that Fridays are Pajama Day, did you create a regulation? No. A regulation is a rule put in place by some authority, such as a government. In fact, there might already be a regulation on the books: No pajamas in school.

If you're trying to remember what a regulation is, think about the phrase "rules and regulations." Regulations are often set by governing bodies of a sport or other activity — thus, there is an accepted regulation-size soccer ball, set by FIFA, professional soccer's governing body. Many government agencies are in charge of "regulating" industries, setting up regulations that companies need to follow to keep us all safe.

Definitions of regulation

1. noun

   the act of bringing to uniformity; making regular
   synonyms: regularisation, regularization

   type of:

   control

   the activity of managing or exerting control over something
2. noun

   the act of controlling or directing according to rule
   “fiscal regulations are in the hands of politicians”

   synonyms: regulating

   types:

   devaluation

   an official lowering of a nation's currency; a decrease in the value of a country's currency relative to that of foreign countries

   gun control

   efforts to regulate or control sales of guns

   indexation

   a system of economic regulation: wages and interest are tied to the cost-of-living index in order to reduce the effects of inflation

   timing

   the regulation of occurrence, pace, or coordination to achieve a desired effect (as in music, theater, athletics, mechanics)

   limitation, restriction

   an act of limiting or restricting (as by regulation)

   coordination

   the regulation of diverse elements into an integrated and harmonious operation

   load-shedding

   cutting off the electric current on certain lines when the demand becomes greater than the supply

   arms control

   a limitation on the size and armament of the armed forces of a country

   hold-down

   a limitation or constraint

   freeze

   fixing (of prices or wages etc) at a particular level

   clampdown

   sudden restriction on an activity

   type of:

   control

   the activity of managing or exerting control over something
3. noun

   an authoritative rule
   synonyms: ordinance

   types:

   game law

   a regulation intended to manage or preserve game animals

   age limit

   regulation establishing the maximum age for doing something or holding some position

   assize

   the regulation of weights and measures of articles offered for sale

   speed limit

   regulation establishing the top speed permitted on a given road

   type of:

   prescript, rule

   prescribed guide for conduct or action
4. noun

   a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
   “short haircuts were the regulation”

   synonyms: rule

   types:

   limitation, restriction, stricture

   a principle that limits the extent of something

   guideline, guidepost, rule of thumb

   a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior

   cy pres, cy pres doctrine, rule of cy pres

   a rule that when literal compliance is impossible the intention of a donor or testator should be carried out as nearly as possible

   working principle, working rule

   a rule that is adequate to permit work to be done

   narrowness

   a restriction of range or scope

   quantification

   a limitation imposed on the variables of a proposition (as by the quantifiers `some' or `all' or `no')

   restraint

   a rule or condition that limits freedom

   type of:

   concept, conception, construct

   an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
5. noun

   the state of being controlled or governed
   type of:

   ascendance, ascendancy, ascendence, ascendency, control, dominance

   the state that exists when one person or group has power over another
6. adjective

   prescribed by or according to regulation
   “regulation army equipment”

   synonyms:

   standard

   conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind
7. noun

   (embryology) the ability of an early embryo to continue normal development after its structure has been somehow damaged or altered
   type of:

   biological process, organic process

   a process occurring in living organisms