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Glite Dictionary
to rule the school

to rule the school

1 6.6
To be in charge of a school and its activities
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : gobernar la escuela
  • WE ARE GOING TO RULE THE SCHOOL!

Examples

  • Rule the school.

    D.E.B.S. (2005)

  • And we’re gonna rule the school.

    Grease (1978)

  • Lance and Kaye rule the school.

    The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

  • It's called thinking on your toes, a must if you're going to rule the school.

    Jawbreaker (1999)

  • Like anywhere else, the jocks and the cheerleaders rule the school.

    My All American (2015)

  • With their popular events and strong leadership, the student council rules the school.

  • The principal established new policies to ensure that she can rule the school effectively.

  • During the talent show, the drama club showed their creativity as they rule the school with their performances.

Synonyms

to rule
vsto rule the school
607 1.0

To be the leader of a country or group and control it

is authority limited to an educational institution and its activities
to dictate
vsto rule the school
181 5.0

To give orders that control what other people do

is broader controlling power rather than just ordering people
to govern
vsto rule the school
88 3.6

To control how something is done by rules

is authority exercised through managing daily matters in an educational institution
to rule over
vsto rule the school
23 4.2

To be in charge of people or a place

is authority specifically over activities in an educational setting

Antonyms

to disobey
126 3.7

To refuse to follow rules or orders from someone in charge

How Authoritative

to rule the school
1 6.6
to run
∞ 2.5
to manage
643 2.7

Surface Forms

rule the school infinitive

Morphology

rule + the + school

The meaning 'to have authority or control over a school' is directly and compositionally derived from 'rule' (to have power) + 'school' (educational institution) with no idiomatic shift. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common agent + institution construction, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Rule the school puts a clear picture in your head: someone acts like a king in the school, standing above others, giving orders and deciding what happens. So it means 'to have authority or control' over the school.