ENGLISH
REFERENCE

regulations

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɹɛɡjəˈɫeɪʃənz// UK //ɹˌɛɡjuːlˈeɪʃənz// reg·u·la·tions

n. official rules made by a government or authority to control how something is done. You follow these to stay safe or obey the law.

n. authoritative rules or directives, typically issued by a government agency or administrative body, designed to control conduct or maintain standards. Often used in the plural to refer to a specific set of requirements.


SIMPLE

New safety regulations require all workers to wear helmets.

CONTEXTUAL

The company had to update its software to comply with the latest data privacy regulations.

COMPLEX

While the primary goal of these environmental regulations is to reduce carbon emissions, critics argue that the compliance costs place an undue burden on smaller manufacturing firms.

Synonyms
Usage

Commonly used in the plural form when referring to a body of rules; often follows the verbs 'comply with', 'follow', or 'enforce'.

Pitfall

the government made a new regulation for drivethe government made a new regulation for drivingWhen 'regulation' is followed by a preposition like 'for', the following verb must be in the gerund (-ing) form.

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