Word.ws English Dictionary

running the rule over

running the rule over is the present participle and gerund of run the rule over.

Meaning of run the rule over

Verb

run the rule over (third-person singular simple present runs the rule over, present participle running the rule over, simple past ran the rule over, past participle run the rule over)

  1. (idiomatic, transitive) To examine carefully and thoroughly.
    • The doctor found his patient propped up on a doorstep. Having, as he expressed it afterwards, "run the rule over him," he prescribed a glass of water and an hour's rest. The man was shaken, that was all.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC

Questions about running the rule over

What is running the rule over the present participle and gerund of?
Running the rule over is the present participle and gerund of run the rule over.

Words near running the rule over in the dictionary

  1. running the gamut
  2. running the gantlope
  3. running the gauntlet
  4. running the gauntlope
  5. running the risk
  6. running the rule over
  7. running the show
  8. running the table
  9. running the whole show
  10. running therapies
  11. running therapy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: running the rule over (page history and authors); run the rule over (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.

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