Standard Lemma guide

guideline

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G AY1 D L AY2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He considered the Ten Commandments more as a guideline than a requirement.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A plan or explanation to guide one in setting standards or determining a course of action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A light line, used in lettering, to help align the text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To provide guidelines for.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: guidepost, rule of thumb

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rule, regulation

6

noun

Meaning 6

a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the president said he had a road map for normalizing relations with Vietnam

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: road map

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plan, program, programme, guidance, counsel, counseling, counselling, direction

7

noun

Meaning 7

a light line that is used in lettering to help align the letters

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: line

History

Etymology

From guide + line.

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: riglyn — non-specific rule or principle
  • Arabic: تَوْجِيهَات (tawjīhāt) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Belarusian: дырэкты́ва (dyrektýva) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Belarusian: паказа́нне (pakazánnje) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Belarusian: паказа́ньне (pakazánʹnje) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Bulgarian: директи́ва (direktíva) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Bulgarian: указа́ние (ukazánie) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Catalan: directriu — non-specific rule or principle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指導 /指导 (zhǐdǎo) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指示 (zhǐshì) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Czech: směrnice — non-specific rule or principle
  • Danish: retningslinje — non-specific rule or principle
  • Dutch: richtlijn — non-specific rule or principle
  • Finnish: ohjenuora — non-specific rule or principle
  • Finnish: ohje — non-specific rule or principle
  • Finnish: suositus — non-specific rule or principle
  • Finnish: suuntaviiva — non-specific rule or principle
  • French: directive — non-specific rule or principle
  • French: grande ligne — non-specific rule or principle
  • French: ligne directrice — non-specific rule or principle
  • French: principe directeur — non-specific rule or principle
  • German: Richtlinie — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: irányelv — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: iránymutatás — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: irányvonal — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: alapelv — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: alapszabály — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: útmutatás — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: vezérfonal — non-specific rule or principle
  • Hungarian: direktíva — non-specific rule or principle
  • Indonesian: panduan — non-specific rule or principle
  • Indonesian: garis panduan — non-specific rule or principle
  • Italian: linea guida — non-specific rule or principle
  • Italian: direttiva — non-specific rule or principle
  • Japanese: 指針 (shishin) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Japanese: ガイドライン (gaidorain) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Korean: 지침 (jichim) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Korean: 가이드라인 (gaideurain) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Central Kurdish: نەخشە (nexşe) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Macedonian: директи́ва (direktíva) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Malayalam: മാർഗരേഖ (māṟgarēkha) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Māori: aratohu — non-specific rule or principle
  • Norwegian Bokmål: retningslinje — non-specific rule or principle
  • Polish: wytyczna — non-specific rule or principle
  • Polish: dyrektywa — non-specific rule or principle
  • Polish: wskazówka — non-specific rule or principle
  • Portuguese: diretriz — non-specific rule or principle
  • Portuguese: diretiva — non-specific rule or principle
  • Russian: директи́ва (direktíva) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Russian: устано́вка (ustanóvka) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Russian: указа́ние (ukazánije) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Scottish Gaelic: stiùireadh — non-specific rule or principle
  • Serbo-Croatian: сме́рница — non-specific rule or principle
  • Serbo-Croatian: смје́рница — non-specific rule or principle
  • Serbo-Croatian: smérnica — non-specific rule or principle
  • Serbo-Croatian: smjérnica — non-specific rule or principle
  • Slovak: smernica — non-specific rule or principle
  • Slovene: smernica — non-specific rule or principle
  • Spanish: directriz — non-specific rule or principle
  • Spanish: pauta — non-specific rule or principle
  • Swedish: riktlinje — non-specific rule or principle
  • Thai: แนวทาง (nɛɛo-taang) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Thai: แนวปฏิบัติ — non-specific rule or principle
  • Thai: ตัวชี้นํา — non-specific rule or principle
  • Ukrainian: директи́ва (dyrektýva) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Ukrainian: указі́вка (ukazívka) — non-specific rule or principle
  • Vietnamese: hướng dẫn — non-specific rule or principle
  • Vietnamese: khuyến cáo — non-specific rule or principle
  • Vietnamese: khuyến nghị — non-specific rule or principle
  • Catalan: pla — plan or explanation
  • Finnish: ohjenuora — plan or explanation
  • Finnish: ohje — plan or explanation
  • Finnish: suositus — plan or explanation
  • Finnish: suuntaviiva — plan or explanation
  • Hungarian: szempont — plan or explanation
  • Indonesian: panduan — plan or explanation
  • Indonesian: garis panduan — plan or explanation
  • Indonesian: pedoman — plan or explanation
  • Central Kurdish: نەخشە (nexşe) — plan or explanation
  • Macedonian: у́патство (úpatstvo) — plan or explanation
  • Malayalam: മാർഗരേഖ (māṟgarēkha) — plan or explanation
  • Scottish Gaelic: stiùireadh — plan or explanation
  • Spanish: pauta — plan or explanation
  • Swahili: kielelezo — plan or explanation
  • Afrikaans: riglyn — light line to help align text
  • Catalan: quadrícula — light line to help align text
  • Finnish: apuviiva — light line to help align text
  • Hungarian: segédvonal — light line to help align text
  • Hungarian: sorvezető — light line to help align text
  • Hungarian: szamárvezető — light line to help align text
  • Indonesian: garis bantu — light line to help align text
  • Portuguese: pauta — light line to help align text