bend the rules

verb

To do something that is not normally allowed but is also not explicitly prohibited.

Similar
stretch the rules
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Meanings

verbbend the rules (third-person singular simple present bends the rules, present participle bending the rules, simple past and past participle bent the rules)

present singular third person bends the rules · participle present bending the rules · participle past bent the rules · past bent the rules

  1. To do something that is not normally allowed but is also not explicitly prohibited.

    Such a mechanism could preserve individuals with mainly prosocial inclinations by enabling them to bend the rules in minor ways without suffering from guilt and without losing out in competition with free-riders.

    2008, Robert A. Hinde, Bending the Rules: The Flexibility of Absolutes in Modern Life, →ISBN

    Synonyms: stretch the rules

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo do something that is not normally allowed but is also not explicitly prohibited.

Similar
stretch the rules
Also see
stretch the rules

Origin

A metaphor where, instead of breaking the rules, the rules are only being "bent", lessening the effect.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bend the rules. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20the%20rules

MLA

“bend the rules.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20the%20rules. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bend the rules,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20the%20rules.

Source: bend the rules on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.