Meanings
nounground rule (plural ground rules)
plural ground rules
- hobbiesA rule regarding play on a specific field, course, or court.
- idiomaticplural normallyThe basic rules or standards; basic principles.
Make sure everybody knows the ground rules for the trip before they leave.
1 more example
The apparent success of the City and South London triggered an avalanche of bills for Tube railways, and in 1892 a Joint Select Committee of Parliament set out some ground rules.
2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 109
Translations
Finnish kenttäsääntö, perussääntö
- kenttäsääntöa rule regarding play on a specific field, course, or court
- perussääntöthe basic rules or standards; general advice that someone must know before proceeding
Hungarian alapszabály
- alapszabálythe basic rules or standards; general advice that someone must know before proceeding
Cite this entry
APA
ground rule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ground%20rule
MLA
“ground rule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ground%20rule. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ground rule,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ground%20rule.
Source: ground rule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.