rule out
verb
ruled out; ruling out; rules out
2
: to make impossible : prevent
heavy rain ruled out the picnic
Synonyms
Examples of rule out in a Sentence
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
Recent Examples on the Web
The four suspects detained on Friday include the farm owner and two Mexican nationals, the police service said, adding that the Hawks are not ruling out the possibility of further arrests.
—
Amarachi Orie, CNN, 20 July 2024
And while none who spoke on background for this story, either current or past participants, was ready to rule out future participation altogether, no one at a network, platform or studio expressed confidence in the current format.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2024
After ruling out that the marks were made by rodents, carnivorous predators or other factors like trampling, the team matched their shape to incisions likely to be made by stone tools.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2024
Harris' membership in the American Legion, a veterans' organization, rules out the possibility of a dishonorable discharge because that would have disqualified Harris from joining.
—Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for rule out 
Amarachi Orie, CNN, 20 July 2024
And while none who spoke on background for this story, either current or past participants, was ready to rule out future participation altogether, no one at a network, platform or studio expressed confidence in the current format.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2024
After ruling out that the marks were made by rodents, carnivorous predators or other factors like trampling, the team matched their shape to incisions likely to be made by stone tools.
—Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2024
Harris' membership in the American Legion, a veterans' organization, rules out the possibility of a dishonorable discharge because that would have disqualified Harris from joining.
—Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for rule out
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rule out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rule out
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20out. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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