as in principles
formal
a statement by an authority of how people should behave
the moral precepts of a religion
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Recent Examples of precepts
Yet, their rise did contribute to the prevention of the power of a single individual who would thwart the precepts of the Constitution.
—
Richard Davis, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
But Felder also feared that the attack would provoke unprecedented violence against Palestinians, and believed that being Jewish required adhering to certain moral precepts.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Accordingly, the warring factions have competed to depict themselves as the true embodiment of MAGA and paint their rivals as undermining Trump or deviating from his precepts.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Even as her hard-line tactics have shown some success, Sheinbaum has not renounced the precepts of López Obrador, who, while retired, remains a revered and influential figure.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin has criticized the Ten Commandments mandate as not just a violation of American precepts but religious ones as well.
—Christopher Schelin, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Some precepts are unassuming — practice tolerance, be generous towards those in need, regard humanity as a family.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Richard Davis, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
But Felder also feared that the attack would provoke unprecedented violence against Palestinians, and believed that being Jewish required adhering to certain moral precepts.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Accordingly, the warring factions have competed to depict themselves as the true embodiment of MAGA and paint their rivals as undermining Trump or deviating from his precepts.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Even as her hard-line tactics have shown some success, Sheinbaum has not renounced the precepts of López Obrador, who, while retired, remains a revered and influential figure.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Martin has criticized the Ten Commandments mandate as not just a violation of American precepts but religious ones as well.
—Christopher Schelin, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
Kutcher’s character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty.
—Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Guided by its own creed, Beijing tends to wield economic power according to its own precepts rather than global norms or external expectations.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Some precepts are unassuming — practice tolerance, be generous towards those in need, regard humanity as a family.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precepts
Noun
-
But the king said despite the fundamental disagreement between the countries, the United States inherited its democratic values from the United Kingdom.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Then, to estimate climate impact, these EI values were plugged into DLR’s contrail and climate models (a contrail plume model and a global climate model).—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The back-to-back resignations and investigations, spanning both parties and both the legislative and executive branches, have reignited a debate about whether Washington’s rules and institutions for self-oversight can keep pace with the misconduct unfolding within it.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Confirm whether the rules apply to all classes of e-bikes as some areas also have stricter laws for the faster (class 3) e-bikes.—
Dr. Phyllis Agran,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Connecticut updates its state building and fire codes every four years, and those rules govern many of the details on how new development goes up in the state.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2026
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Kelsey Arends, senior staff attorney for Nebraska Appleseed, an advocacy group, said the state’s long list of medical billing codes for conditions that would be exempted is still not long enough.—
Phil Galewitz,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His preference would be to find simpler axioms for quantum mechanics — intuitive principles that would let theorists re-derive the theory in a new form altogether.—
Daniel Garisto,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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In other words, as Cleveland tore through the league last season, the players responded to most of the milestones reached with a collective shrug and worn axioms about nothing mattering until the playoffs.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
By now, decades into Americans’ pursuit of cooking as a mainstream hobby, certain maxims have become near-law among food lovers.—
Emily Heil,
Washington Post,
25 Mar. 2026
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Maybe anyone planning long journeys should take those maxims as advice anyhow.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The indictment also charges Meade and West each with one count of conspiracy to obstruct and defeat the Internal Revenue Service, five counts of attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws and seven counts of aiding or assisting the filing of false documents, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
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The humbling end to a mercifully brief career should be a warning to anyone else who might try to get elected by brazenly flouting the disclosure laws.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Precepts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precepts. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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