Meanings
- That rules; predominant; chief; reigning; controlling.
a ruling passion
2 more examples
the ruling monarch
Zhou Zhongxiao, 30, an executive at an online dating site in Beijing, said his participation in the China Democratic League had provided an outlet for promoting his pet project: the preservation of traditional wedding rituals. “We provide a useful service by helping the ruling party govern the country,” he said, adding with impatience, “Why does a party always have to be seeking political power?”
2013 March 12, Andrew Jacobs, Patrick Zuo, Shi Da, quoting Zhou Zhongxiao, “Non-Communist Parties Lend China an Air of Pluralism, Without the Mess”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Mar 2013, Asia Pacific
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of rule
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
By surface analysis, rule + -ing.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَاكِم
- حَاكِم (ḥākim)that rules
Bulgarian управляващ, ръководещ
- управляващ (upravljavašt)that rules
- ръководещ (răkovodešt)that rules
- постановление (postanovlenie)an order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Finnish hallitseva, käsky
- hallitsevathat rules
- käskyan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
French au pouvoir, régnant
- au pouvoirthat rules
- régnantthat rules
- décisionan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
- arrêtan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
German herrschend, regierend
- herrschendthat rules
- regierendthat rules
- Beschlussan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
- Entscheidan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Hungarian uralkodó, döntés
- uralkodóthat rules
- döntésan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
- határozatan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Italian governante, sentenza
- governantethat rules
- sentenzaan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
- decisionean order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Portuguese decisão
- decisãoan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Romanian conducere
- conducerean order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Russian пра́вящий, госпо́дствующий
- пра́вящий (právjaščij)that rules
- госпо́дствующий (gospódstvujuščij)that rules
- постановле́ние (postanovlénije)an order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Spanish gobernante, regente
- gobernantethat rules
- regentethat rules
- dictamenan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
- laudoan order or a decision on a point of law from someone in authority
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ruling
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
ruling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruling
“ruling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruling. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ruling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ruling.
Source: ruling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.