rule out

verb

ruled out; ruling out; rules out

transitive verb

1

: exclude, eliminate

They were ruled out as candidates for the job.

2

: to make impossible : prevent

Heavy rain ruled out the picnic.

Synonyms of rule out

• exclude
• ban
• bar
• eliminate
• shut out
• freeze out
• prevent
• prohibit

Examples of rule out in a Sentence

another loss would rule them out of the tournament

Recent Examples on the Web

Liverpool were competitive in the first half, and perhaps unfortunate to see Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser ruled out for interference from an offside position, but City pressed home their advantage through the brilliance of left-winger Jeremy Doku. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

After a few more appointments and additional testing to rule out other potential causes, Hamady was started on oral progesterone and estradiol gel. —Olivia Lee, Charlotte Observer, 10 Nov. 2025

Still, if Golden, Wicks and/or Williams are ruled out, the Packers are going to have a tough time taking advantage of a Philly defense that just made multiple trades to improve its depth chart at cornerback. —Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

As of Saturday morning, only wide receiver and return specialist Dee Eskridge (shoulder) is ruled out. —Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rule out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

rule out

verb

: to eliminate the possibility of