Word.ws English Dictionary

rules of the game

rules of the game noun: used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rules, of, the, game.

Noun

rules of the game pl (plural only)

  1. (plural, plural-only) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rules, of, the, game.
  2. (figuratively, plural, plural-only) set of implied or unspoken principles that govern a facet of behavior, especially one involving strategy

Questions about rules of the game

What does rules of the game mean?
Rules of the game means used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rules, of, the, game.
What part of speech is rules of the game?
Rules of the game is a noun.

Words near rules of the game in the dictionary

  1. rules lawyers
  2. rules nisi
  3. rules of decision
  4. rules of engagement
  5. rules of order
  6. rules of the game
  7. rules of the road
  8. rules of thumb
  9. rules off
  10. rules official
  11. rules OK

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rules of the game (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “rules of the game.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rules_of_the_game. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.