play by the rules
English
editVerb
editplay by the rules (third-person singular simple present plays by the rules, present participle playing by the rules, simple past and past participle played by the rules)
- to do what is expected.
- Synonym: play the game
Further reading
edit- “by the rules”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “play by the rules”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.