Meanings
plural regulations
- uncountableThe act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.
- countableA law or administrative rule, issued by an organization, used to guide or prescribe the conduct of members of that organization.
Army regulations state a soldier AWOL over 30 days is a deserter.
2 more examples
The guard was paying no attention whatever to the running of his train, in total disregard of rules, and, as the recently-published report of a Ministry of Transport Inspecting Officer of Railways shows, there were other disquieting features in the case, such as ignorance on the part of responsible men of rules and appendix instructions and a lax attitude to regulations of which they professed to be aware, combined with failure to look at staff notice boards.
1956 September, “Notes and News: The Barby Sidings Accident Report”, in Railway Magazine, page 638In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.
2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 23, page 19 - countablein pluraloftenuncountablelawA type of law made by the executive branch of a government, usually as authorized by a statute made by the legislative branch giving the executive the authority to do so.
- countablein pluraloftensingularlawA numbered provision within such kind of legislation.
Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 (S.R. & O. 1939/927) authorized the British government to intern suspected spies and collaborators during World War II.
1 more example
(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales only, subject to paragraph (3). (3) This regulation and regulation 2(h) and (v)(i) and (ii) extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
2023, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, “Regulation 1(2)-(3)”, in Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (Commencement No. 1 and Saving Provision) Regulations 2023, page 1
- European UnioncountableuncountablelawA form of legislative act which is self-effecting, and requires no further intervention by the Member States to become law.
- countableuncountablebiologyMechanism controlling DNA transcription.
- countableuncountablemedicinePhysiological process which consists in maintaining homoeostasis.
- not comparableIn conformity with applicable rules and regulations.
"The hat is regulation as well, I assume."
2004, Marc Miller, The Kettles and the Keeps: Ghosts at War, page 883 more examples
It is regulation that these directives are to be destroyed on receipt.
1969, Thomas Wiseman, The Quick and the Dead, page 328It is the responsibility of every legionare to be sure that he is regulation height as well.
2007, Jim Butcher, Captain's Fury, page 48Sorry, Zooble, it's just the perfect regulation softball size! We're not playing baseball here!
2025 June 20, Gooseworx, “Untitled” (19:50 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 5, spoken by Kinger (Sean Chiplock)
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveprescribed by or according to regulation
nouna principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
nounthe act of bringing to uniformity; making regular
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic تَنْظِيم
- تَنْظِيم (tanẓīm)law or administrative rule
Bulgarian регулация, правило
- регулация (regulacija)act or condition
- правило (pravilo)law or administrative rule
- предписание (predpisanie)law or administrative rule
- регламент (reglament)law or administrative rule
- регла́мент (regláment)EU: self-effecting legislative act
Chinese Cantonese 規例 /规例
- 規例 /规例 (kwai¹ lai⁶)law or administrative rule
Chinese Mandarin 規則 /规则, 規例 /规例
- 規則 /规则 (guīzé)law or administrative rule
- 規例 /规例 (guīlì)law or administrative rule
Czech nařízení, nařízení
- nařízenílaw or administrative rule
- nařízeníEU: self-effecting legislative act
Danish forordning
- forordningEU: self-effecting legislative act
Dutch reglement, verordening
- reglementlaw or administrative rule
- verordeninglaw or administrative rule
- verordeningEU: self-effecting legislative act
Esperanto regulo
- regulolaw or administrative rule
Estonian määrus, määrus
- määruslaw or administrative rule
- määrusEU: self-effecting legislative act
Finnish sääntely, sääntö
- sääntelyact or condition
- sääntölaw or administrative rule
- ohjesääntölaw or administrative rule
- järjestyssääntölaw or administrative rule
- asetusEU: self-effecting legislative act
French règlement, réglementation
- règlementlaw or administrative rule
- réglementationlaw or administrative rule
- règlementEU: self-effecting legislative act
- régulationmechanism controlling DNA transcription
- régulationphysiological process maintaining homœostasis
German Regeln, Regelung
- Regelnact or condition
- Regelunglaw or administrative rule
- Regulativlaw or administrative rule
- Bestimmunglaw or administrative rule
- VerordnungEU: self-effecting legislative act
Greek ρύθμιση, κανονισμός
- ρύθμιση (rýthmisi)act or condition
- κανονισμός (kanonismós)law or administrative rule
- κανονισμός (kanonismós)EU: self-effecting legislative act
Hindi विनियम
- विनियम (viniyam)law or administrative rule
Hungarian szabályozás, irányítás
- szabályozásact or condition
- irányításact or condition
- vezérlésact or condition
- beállításact or condition
- beszabályozásact or condition
- beigazításact or condition
- előíráslaw or administrative rule
- szabálylaw or administrative rule
- szabályozáslaw or administrative rule
- rendszabálylaw or administrative rule
- rendelkezéslaw or administrative rule
- szabványlaw or administrative rule
Icelandic reglugerð
- reglugerðlaw or administrative rule
Indonesian regulasi, peraturan
- regulasilaw or administrative rule
- peraturanlaw or administrative rule
Irish rialachán, riail
- rialachánlaw or administrative rule
- riailEU: self-effecting legislative act
Italian regola, regolamento
- regolaact or condition
- regolamentolaw or administrative rule
- regolamentoEU: self-effecting legislative act
- regolazionemechanism controlling DNA transcription
- regolazionephysiological process maintaining homœostasis
Japanese 規制, 規則
- 規制 (kisei)act or condition
- 規則 (kisóku)law or administrative rule
Korean 규칙
- 규칙 (gyuchik)law or administrative rule
Latin praescriptum
- praescriptumlaw or administrative rule
Latvian regula
- regulaEU: self-effecting legislative act
Lithuanian reglamentas
- reglamentasEU: self-effecting legislative act
Māori rekureihana
- rekureihanalaw or administrative rule
Norwegian regulering
- reguleringlaw or administrative rule
Polish regulacja, przepis
- regulacjaact or condition
- przepislaw or administrative rule
- rozporządzenieEU: self-effecting legislative act
Portuguese regulamento, regulamento
- regulamentolaw or administrative rule
- regulamentoEU: self-effecting legislative act
- regulaçãomechanism controlling DNA transcription
- regulaçãophysiological process maintaining homœostasis
Romanian reglare, regulă
- reglareact or condition
- regulăact or condition
- reglementarelaw or administrative rule
- regulamentlaw or administrative rule
- regulamentEU: self-effecting legislative act
- reglementareEU: self-effecting legislative act
Russian уста́в, пра́вило
- уста́в (ustáv)law or administrative rule
- пра́вило (právilo)law or administrative rule
- регла́мент (regláment)law or administrative rule
- предписа́ние (predpisánije)law or administrative rule
Slovak nariadenie
- nariadenieEU: self-effecting legislative act
Spanish reglamento, regulación
- reglamentolaw or administrative rule
- regulaciónmechanism controlling DNA transcription
- regulaciónphysiological process maintaining homœostasis
Swedish reglering, förordning
- regleringlaw or administrative rule
- förordningEU: self-effecting legislative act
Tagalog alituntunin, alituntunin
- alituntuninact or condition
- alituntuninlaw or administrative rule
Turkish regülasyon, düzenleme
- regülasyonact or condition
- düzenlemelaw or administrative rule
Ukrainian регулювання
- регулювання (rehuljuvannja)act or condition
Vietnamese chế độ
- chế độlaw or administrative rule
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
regulation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regulation
“regulation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regulation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “regulation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regulation.
Source: regulation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.