ruler

[ roo-ler ]

noun

1. a person who rules or governs; sovereign.
2. Also a strip of wood, metal, or other material having a straight edge and usually marked off in inches or centimeters, used for drawing lines, measuring, etc.
3. a person or thing that rules paper, wood, etc.
4. Astrology. the planet primarily associated with any sign of the zodiac or any house of the horoscope:

   The ruler of Aries is Mars. The ruler of Taurus is Venus.

ruler

/ ˈruːlə /

noun

1. a person who rules or commands
2. Also calledrule a strip of wood, metal, or other material, having straight edges graduated usually in millimetres or inches, used for measuring and drawing straight lines

Other Words From

• sub·ruler noun
• under·ruler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruler¹

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; rule, -er ¹

Example Sentences

When then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sudan after the popular revolution that led to the ousting of military-Islamist ruler Omar al-Bashir, his main agenda was a simple trade: America would lift sanctions when Sudan agreed to sign the Abraham Accords.

From BBC

Through his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump enjoys warm relations with the de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials, MBS.

From BBC

Clans fought against each other in the Somali civil war that started after the overthrow of long-time ruler Siad Barre in 1991 and the worst of the fighting continued until 2001.

From BBC

If you’ve been the ruler of a world-dominating social media apparatus for nearly 20 years now, are you going to cave so freely when governments finally get it together and try to tell you how to better run things?

From Slate

For the political administration, too, is treated as a purely personal affair of the ruler, and political power is considered part of his personal property.”

From Salon

Related Words

• czar
• emperor
• king
• monarch
• shah
• sultan