as in excluding
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of ruling out
The poll comes out as White House officials have repeatedly avoided ruling out a ground invasion.
—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Trump is not ruling out the possibility of military strikes on Iran.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Smith for some time has dangled the prospect of running as an unconventional candidate against a field of career politicians, but there’s a big gap between not ruling out a run and actually doing it.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Once there, Glick quickly gathered information that contradicted claims the authorities had made in ruling out foul play.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Trump is not ruling out the possibility of military strikes on Iran.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Smith for some time has dangled the prospect of running as an unconventional candidate against a field of career politicians, but there’s a big gap between not ruling out a run and actually doing it.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Once there, Glick quickly gathered information that contradicted claims the authorities had made in ruling out foul play.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruling out
Verb
-
To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Aysha Bagchi Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to question one of the arguments from the government for excluding the children of unauthorized immigrants from birthright citizenship.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The country’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even went as far as issuing a fatwa, or legal ruling under Islamic law, banning them.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Beginning in 2025, parents planned their exits from states banning health care for their children.—
Tracy Baim,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Haupt gave his team a chance to come back by shutting out the Vikings over his four innings of work.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Democratic Party’s nightmare scenario would involve both Republican candidates advancing to November’s general election, freezing out Democrats from the governor’s office for the first time since 2011.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Minnesota officials said on Thursday that the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation and freezing out state investigators.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
He's talked about eliminating the missile threat.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Framed as deregulation, the bill sets a statewide minimum lot size of 1,500 square feet while also shrinking setbacks and eliminating dimensional requirements that could stand in the way of building multiple compact homes on at least four acres of land.—
Mark Dee
March 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 2020, the Legislature passed a law barring trans women and girls from participating in women’s and girls sports.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
-
If instead funding comes from NASA’s far smaller planetary-science coffers, however, barring a significant budget boost, something else must die for Skyfall to fly.—
David W. Brown,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling%20out. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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