reg·u·la·tion
ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 
ˌre-gə-,
also ˌrā-
1
: the act of regulating : the state of being regulated
2
a
: an authoritative rule dealing with details or procedure
safety regulations
b
: a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law
3
a
: the process of redistributing material (as in an embryo) to restore a damaged or lost part independent of new tissue growth
b
: the mechanism by which an early embryo maintains normal development
4
a
or regulation time
: the standard period of time established by the rules of a game or contest excluding overtime
Trailing by five with less than a minute to go in regulation, Boston forced the game into overtime …—
Bob Ryan
Bob RyanDallas downed the ball at the 20 with 1:47 left in regulation.—Ralph N. Paulk
Ralph N. Paulk… there will be a change in France for the 1988 World Cup: a sudden-death … period after regulation time.—George Vecsey
George Vecsey
b
golf
: the standard number of strokes allowed by par for reaching the green on a given hole (that is, one stroke on a par 3, two strokes on a par 4, and three strokes on a par 5)
Using his conservative left-to-right fade, he hit all but three greens in regulation.—Jaime Diaz
Jaime Diaz
: conforming to regulations : official
Synonyms
Examples of regulation in a Sentence
Noun
Builders must comply with the regulations.
regulations on the disposal of waste
Each agency has its own set of rules and regulations.
Adjective
Students must wear regulation uniforms.
Recent Examples on the WebClaire Fahy, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The game reached overtime after Marchand and Geekie both had chances to pot a loose puck amidst a scramble in the crease during the final minute of regulation.
—Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
When the earthquake struck in 1999, Taiwan was very unprepared, Aldrich said, citing corruption in the construction industry, the lack of building regulations, and inadequate coordination in rescue efforts.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The Dragons applied the majority of the pressure the rest of regulation and through two 10-minute overtime periods, but not by much.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
One side’s arc was about 9 inches short of regulation at its apex, a mistake by the contractor that makes the courts used throughout March Madness.
—Anne M. Peterson and Doug Feinberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Yet, there are still some regulations in place for marijuana use, and anyone buying, selling, growing, possessing or using it should be aware of the legal limits.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
California in 2022 approved a regulation requiring all new cars sold to be zero-emission by 2035.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
At the end of regulation, North Side (10-11-3) and Northwest were tied with one goal a piece.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
James Call, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023
The swearing in of Commissioner Mary T. Boyle in June brought the commission up to full strength, with a 3-2 split in favor of Democratic appointees who are expected to take an aggressive enforcement stance in line with the Biden administration’s pro-regulation agenda.
—Dean Seal, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022
Brett Maher went 6-for-9 on field goals while kicking into a non-regulation, skinny post, his longest from 50 yards.
—Dallas News, 18 Aug. 2022
Still, presuming that the anti-regulation guests also made misleading scientific statements (no big assumption, given the way this debate tends to go), the result is closely related.
—Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2011
Bankman-Fried, after all, was supposed to be crypto’s good-guy wunderkind, the pro-regulation prophet who would finally lead crypto into the mainstream.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022
Florida's housing woes have been festering for years, with the state enjoying robust population growth while also courting new residents and businesses attracted by the low taxes and an anti-regulation agenda.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 2 May 2022
Noun
And while progress has been made on a deal, questions remain about who would be subject to the protections, and whether localities can opt out of regulations, among other things.
—Claire Fahy, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The game reached overtime after Marchand and Geekie both had chances to pot a loose puck amidst a scramble in the crease during the final minute of regulation.
—Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
When the earthquake struck in 1999, Taiwan was very unprepared, Aldrich said, citing corruption in the construction industry, the lack of building regulations, and inadequate coordination in rescue efforts.
—Wayne Chang, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
The Dragons applied the majority of the pressure the rest of regulation and through two 10-minute overtime periods, but not by much.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
One side’s arc was about 9 inches short of regulation at its apex, a mistake by the contractor that makes the courts used throughout March Madness.
—Anne M. Peterson and Doug Feinberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
Yet, there are still some regulations in place for marijuana use, and anyone buying, selling, growing, possessing or using it should be aware of the legal limits.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
California in 2022 approved a regulation requiring all new cars sold to be zero-emission by 2035.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
At the end of regulation, North Side (10-11-3) and Northwest were tied with one goal a piece.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Democrat amendments squashed Democrats and pro-regulation groups argued the measure lacks any awareness of the common good, and prioritizes political ambitions and corporate profits over people’s lives.
—James Call, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023
The swearing in of Commissioner Mary T. Boyle in June brought the commission up to full strength, with a 3-2 split in favor of Democratic appointees who are expected to take an aggressive enforcement stance in line with the Biden administration’s pro-regulation agenda.
—Dean Seal, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022
Brett Maher went 6-for-9 on field goals while kicking into a non-regulation, skinny post, his longest from 50 yards.
—Dallas News, 18 Aug. 2022
Still, presuming that the anti-regulation guests also made misleading scientific statements (no big assumption, given the way this debate tends to go), the result is closely related.
—Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2011
Bankman-Fried, after all, was supposed to be crypto’s good-guy wunderkind, the pro-regulation prophet who would finally lead crypto into the mainstream.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022
Florida's housing woes have been festering for years, with the state enjoying robust population growth while also courting new residents and businesses attracted by the low taxes and an anti-regulation agenda.
—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 2 May 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regulation.' 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 regulation
Cite this Entry
“Regulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
regulation
1 of 2 noun
reg·u·la·tion
ˌreg-yə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the act of regulating : the state of being regulated
2
a
: a rule or order telling how something is to be done
safety regulations in a factory
b
: a rule or order having the force of law
regulation
2 of 2 adjective
: being in agreement with regulations
a regulation baseball
Medical Definition
regulation
noun
reg·u·la·tion
ˌreg-yə-ˈlā-shən, ˌreg-ə-ˈlā-
1
: the act of regulating
also
: the resulting state or condition
2
a
: the process of redistributing material (as in an embryo) to restore a damaged or lost part independent of new tissue growth compare regeneration sense 2
b
: the mechanism by which an early embryo maintains normal development
3
: the control of the kind and rate of cellular processes by controlling the activity of individual genes
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