Meaning & use
ordinance
Last updated
An official rule or law made by a local authority, such as a city or county government.
See it in a sentence
The city passed an ordinance banning plastic bags at grocery stores.
Residents protested the new noise ordinance restricting late-night construction.
A note on using this word
Easy to confuse with 'ordnance,' which means military weapons and equipment; the spellings differ by only one letter.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ordinance”, then compare your use with the examples above.