rules of the road

noun

A set of such rules, viewed as a single thing.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of rule of the road

    A regional security framework with a relatively broad mandate could also establish badly needed "rules of the road" for regional states in a post-Saddam environment, which would be highly valued by the Saudis.

    2005, Flynt Leverett, The Road Ahead: Middle East Policy in the Bush Administration's Second Term, page 105
  2. pluralplural onlyA set of such rules, viewed as a single thing.

    That clinical instructor will begin the course by giving you an “orientation day.” Pay attention! You need to know the rules of the road for each instructor and each clinical facility.

    2012, Susan Stabler-Haas, Fast Facts for the Student Nurse
    1 more example

    As it's evolved, the for-profit organizational form rewards short-term thinking and a profits-first, social-and-environmental-damage-be-damned attitude. While this is especially true at the global corporate level, the rules of the road for small businesses aren't much better.

    2013, Carl Frankel, Allen Bromberger, The Art of Social Enterprise: Business as if People Mattered, page 8

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
highway code

Translations

Czech pravidla silničního provozu
  • pravidla silničního provozulaws that govern driving
Dutch wegcode
  • wegcodelaws that govern driving
Finnish liikennesäännöt
  • liikennesäännötlaws that govern driving
French code de la route
  • code de la routelaws that govern driving
German Straßenverkehrsregeln, Verkehrsregeln
  • Straßenverkehrsregelnlaws that govern driving
  • Verkehrsregelnlaws that govern driving
  • Straßenverkehrsvorschriftenlaws that govern driving
  • Verkehrsvorschriftenlaws that govern driving
  • Straßenverkehrsgesetzlaws that govern driving
Hebrew חֻקֵּי הַדֶּרֶךְ
  • חֻקֵּי הַדֶּרֶךְ (khukey haderekh)laws that govern driving
Hungarian KRESZ
  • KRESZlaws that govern driving
Polish kodeks drogowy
  • kodeks drogowylaws that govern driving
Russian пра́вила доро́жного движе́ния
  • пра́вила доро́жного движе́ния (právila doróžnovo dvižénija)laws that govern driving
Cite this entry
APA

rules of the road. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rules%20of%20the%20road

MLA

“rules of the road.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rules%20of%20the%20road. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rules of the road,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rules%20of%20the%20road.

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