regulation

noun

1. (uncountable)The act of regulating or the condition of being regulated.
2. (countable)A law or administrative rule, issued by an organization, used to guide or prescribe the conduct of members of that organization.

   “Army regulations state a soldier AWOL over 30 days is a deserter.”

   “The guard was paying no attention whatever to the running of his train, in total disregard of rules, and, as the recently-published report of a Ministry of Transport Inspecting Officer of Railways shows, there were other disquieting features in the case, such as ignorance on the part of responsible men of rules and appendix instructions and a lax attitude to regulations of which they professed to be aware, combined with failure to look at staff notice boards.”

   “In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.”

3. (countable, in-plural, often, uncountable)A type of law made by the executive branch of a government, usually as authorized by a statute made by the legislative branch giving the executive the authority to do so.
4. (countable, in-plural, often, singular)A type of law made by the executive branch of a government, usually as authorized by a statute made by the legislative branch giving the executive the authority to do so.

   “Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 (S.R. & O. 1939/927) authorized the British government to intern suspected spies and collaborators during World War II.”

   “(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales only, subject to paragraph (3). (3) This regulation and regulation 2(h) and (v)(i) and (ii) extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

5. (European-Union, countable, uncountable)A form of legislative act which is self-effecting, and requires no further intervention by the Member States to become law.
6. (countable, uncountable)Mechanism controlling DNA transcription.
7. (countable, uncountable)Physiological process which consists in maintaining homoeostasis.

adj

1. (not-comparable)In conformity with applicable rules and regulations.

   “It is regulation that these directives are to be destroyed on receipt.”

   “"The hat is regulation as well, I assume."”

   “It is the responsibility of every legionare to be sure that he is regulation height as well.”

   “Sorry, Zooble, it's just the perfect regulation softball size! We're not playing baseball here!”