diff --git a/misc/syntax/atom/language-rego/grammars/rego.cson b/misc/syntax/atom/language-rego/grammars/rego.cson
index 20cbf3b3c4..60bb600242 100644
--- a/misc/syntax/atom/language-rego/grammars/rego.cson
+++ b/misc/syntax/atom/language-rego/grammars/rego.cson
@@ -96,9 +96,11 @@ repository:
       }
     ]
   head:
-    begin: "^([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)"
+    begin: "^(default\s+)?([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)"
     beginCaptures:
       "1":
+        name: "keyword.control.import.$1.rego"
+      "2":
         name: "storage.type.function.rego"
     end: "(=|:-)"
     name: "meta.function.rego"
diff --git a/misc/syntax/textmate/Rego.tmLanguage b/misc/syntax/textmate/Rego.tmLanguage
index 37eeb49cad..81b70c7b01 100644
--- a/misc/syntax/textmate/Rego.tmLanguage
+++ b/misc/syntax/textmate/Rego.tmLanguage
@@ -181,10 +181,15 @@
 		<key>head</key>
 		<dict>
 			<key>begin</key>
-			<string>^([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)</string>
+			<string>^(default\s+)?([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)</string>
 			<key>beginCaptures</key>
 			<dict>
 				<key>1</key>
+				<dict>
+					<key>name</key>
+					<string>keyword.control.import.$1.rego</string>
+				</dict>
+				<key>2</key>
 				<dict>
 					<key>name</key>
 					<string>storage.type.function.rego</string>
diff --git a/misc/syntax/vim/syntax/rego.vim b/misc/syntax/vim/syntax/rego.vim
index c782a94f8b..4fd26e491c 100644
--- a/misc/syntax/vim/syntax/rego.vim
+++ b/misc/syntax/vim/syntax/rego.vim
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ endif
 syn case match
 
 " language keywords
-syn keyword regoKeyword package import as not with
+syn keyword regoKeyword package import as not with default
 
 " comments
 syn match regoComment "#.*$" contains=regoTodo,@Spell
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ syn match regoStringEscape "\\u[0-9a-fA-F]\{4}" contained
 syn match regoStringEscape "\\[nrfvb\\\"]" contained
 
 " rule head
-syn match regoRuleName "^\w\+" nextgroup=regoRuleKey,regoRuleValue skipwhite
+" TODO: how to match 'default' here but highlight as keyword (and still
+" highlight rule name as function)?
+syn match regoRuleName "^\s*\(\w\+\)" nextgroup=regoRuleKey,regoRuleValue skipwhite
 syn region regoRuleKey start="\[" end="\]" contained skipwhite
 syn match regoRuleValue "=\w\+" nextgroup=regoIfThen skipwhite
 
diff --git a/misc/syntax/visualstudio/rego/syntaxes/Rego.tmLanguage b/misc/syntax/visualstudio/rego/syntaxes/Rego.tmLanguage
index 37eeb49cad..81b70c7b01 100644
--- a/misc/syntax/visualstudio/rego/syntaxes/Rego.tmLanguage
+++ b/misc/syntax/visualstudio/rego/syntaxes/Rego.tmLanguage
@@ -181,10 +181,15 @@
 		<key>head</key>
 		<dict>
 			<key>begin</key>
-			<string>^([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)</string>
+			<string>^(default\s+)?([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*)</string>
 			<key>beginCaptures</key>
 			<dict>
 				<key>1</key>
+				<dict>
+					<key>name</key>
+					<string>keyword.control.import.$1.rego</string>
+				</dict>
+				<key>2</key>
 				<dict>
 					<key>name</key>
 					<string>storage.type.function.rego</string>