as in to exclude
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of rule out
Many of the players, however, including Duck (ankle), Waller (hip) and Jones (oblique) had been ruled out Friday.
—
Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Added to that, the British economy is sluggish and loaded with debt, and Starmer’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has no obvious options for raising revenues in her November budget, having ruled out tax hikes on working people in the election campaign.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
Severe thunderstorms aren’t expected, but can’t be ruled out in some isolated cases.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2025
As expected, quarterback Brock Purdy was ruled out and will give way to Mac Jones for his 49ers’ regular-season debut.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Added to that, the British economy is sluggish and loaded with debt, and Starmer’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has no obvious options for raising revenues in her November budget, having ruled out tax hikes on working people in the election campaign.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
Severe thunderstorms aren’t expected, but can’t be ruled out in some isolated cases.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2025
As expected, quarterback Brock Purdy was ruled out and will give way to Mac Jones for his 49ers’ regular-season debut.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
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She is now stuck between not wanting to exclude someone and still hoping the evening stays true to its original purpose.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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All Canadian feature films in Official Selection — excluding first or second features — are considered for the award.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed an executive order banning phones in her state, too.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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The deadline for the popular app to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States is September 17, after Trump extended it for the third time.—
AFP,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s attorneys on Thursday had submitted an emergency request to pause a lower-court ruling, which barred Cook’s firing from taking effect while her lawsuit against the president’s action continues.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
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Nor does the executive order bar any federal agency from continuing to offer its services, websites, and materials in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, or hundreds of other languages spoken across the country.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With widespread vaccination, which led to measles being declared eliminated from the US in 2000, SSPE has virtually disappeared in the US.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
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Make a list, then systematically eliminate or replace each item.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Plymouth South shut out Silver Lake 34-0 in its season opener.—
Zachary McMahon,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Entering the night, Colorado had been shut out in all four games at Petco this season.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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It’s caused millions of these young workers to be frozen out of new opportunities, and men are largely the ones being impacted.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
25 Aug. 2025
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He had been frozen out in Turin and Anfield has been a slow burn for him.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Riley Gaines has lobbied for bills in several states that would prevent biological males who identify as women from competing in women’s sports.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Your feet are sandwiched between pillowy soles and a breathable mesh upper that keeps the air flowing to prevent sweating and blisters.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Declawing is already prohibited in multiple California cities, according to Lee’s office, including in West Hollywood, and the bill expands the ban statewide.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
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Butera’s neutrality proposal, if approved by shareholders, would have prohibited Tesla leadership from making political statements, endorsements, or contributions in support or opposition to political parties or candidates.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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