ordinance

ordinance — noun

1. an official law or order issued by a city, council, or other public authority

1.nounC1
Definition

an official law or order issued by a city, council, or other public authority

Example

The city passed an ordinance to limit loud music after midnight.

pass an ordinance

At dinner, Rosa explained the recycling ordinance to her new tenants.

collocation: recycling ordinance

Common collocations
  • city ordinance
  • local ordinance
  • noise ordinance
  • pass an ordinance
  • violate an ordinance
Synonyms
  • regulation

    a broader word for an official rule, often with more detail about how something must be done

  • bylaw

    often a rule made by a local council or by an organization for its own members

  • statute

    usually a law passed by a legislature, often at a higher level than a city ordinance

  • decree

    suggests a direct order from a ruler or authority, often more top-down in tone

Grammar Patterns

pass an ordinance

violate an ordinance

local ordinance

Usage Note

Often used for rules issued by a city, town, council, or similar local body rather than by a national legislature. Common verbs are pass, adopt, repeal, post, and violate.

Common Mistakes

The city made a new ordinance about helmets.
The city passed a new ordinance about helmets.
pass is the more typical verb for formally approving a legal rule.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Ordinance is most often used for an official rule made by a city, town, council, or other local authority. Regulation is broader and can refer to detailed official rules from many kinds of bodies, especially about safety, business, or technical practice. Bylaw is often used for rules of a local council or an organization itself. Statute usually refers to a law passed by a legislature, so it often sounds higher-level and more formal than ordinance. Decree suggests a direct order from someone in power, sometimes without the same local-law feeling. You can say The council passed a noise ordinance, but Parliament passed a new statute.

ordinance ↗regulation ↗bylawstatute ↗decree

Common collocations

Nouns

  • city ordinance
  • local ordinance
  • noise ordinance
  • zoning ordinance

Phrases

  • pass an ordinance
  • adopt an ordinance
  • violate an ordinance
  • repeal an ordinance

Prepositions

  • by ordinance
  • under an ordinance

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Ordinance came into English through Old French from Latin ordinare, meaning to arrange or put in order. The word first carried the idea of setting things in proper order, and that later developed into the legal sense of an officially declared rule.