ground rule
noun
1
: a sports rule adopted to modify play on a particular field, court, or course
2
: a rule of procedure
ground rules for selecting a superintendent—
Amer. School Board Jour.
Amer. School Board Jour.
Examples of ground rule in a Sentence
before the debate begins, let's lay out some ground rules
Recent Examples on the Web
But rather than participate in this kind of sexism — and also not engage in outright single-ism — maybe set some ground rules in advance.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
Identifying potential miscreants and giving them clear ground rules, with swift comeback when those rules are broken, is an approach born of the frustrations that regulators have experienced when scrambling to keep up with the sector’s move-fast-and-break-things approach.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 28 May 2024
The Bulls put the first two batters on in the top of the second inning on a bad-hop single and ground rule double by DeSantis before Shaun Verderaime scored on an RBI groundout by Ryan Larkin.
—James Peters, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2024
The global powerhouses will seek to establish ground rules about when AI should not be used, including in controlling each country’s nuclear weapons, the Times reported.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ground rule 
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 1 June 2024
Identifying potential miscreants and giving them clear ground rules, with swift comeback when those rules are broken, is an approach born of the frustrations that regulators have experienced when scrambling to keep up with the sector’s move-fast-and-break-things approach.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 28 May 2024
The Bulls put the first two batters on in the top of the second inning on a bad-hop single and ground rule double by DeSantis before Shaun Verderaime scored on an RBI groundout by Ryan Larkin.
—James Peters, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2024
The global powerhouses will seek to establish ground rules about when AI should not be used, including in controlling each country’s nuclear weapons, the Times reported.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ground rule
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground rule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ground rule
Cite this Entry
“Ground rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20rule. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share