rule out

verb

ruled out; ruling out; rules out

transitive verb

1
2
: to make impossible : prevent
heavy rain ruled out the picnic

Examples of rule out in a Sentence

another loss would rule them out of the tournament
Recent Examples on the Web Ukraine’s martial law, which is periodically renewed with votes in Parliament, rules out holding presidential elections. Andrew E. Kramer Daniel Berehulak, New York Times, 21 May 2024 Trump probably won't take the stand While Donald Trump's attorneys have yet to definitively rule out his appearance on the witness stand, the prospect seems increasingly unlikely. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 20 May 2024 That rules out asking it things from across the room. Michael Muchmore, PCMAG, 20 May 2024 But that doesn’t mean that Fraser ruled out options that happened to overlap with Rogue One. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024 This chorus is likely to intensify in the coming months, especially given Trump's refusals to explicitly rule out political violence in multiple interviews should the former president lose this fall and his previous attempt to fraudulently replace those slates in 2020 to overturn his election loss. Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024 The National Weather Service would not rule out hale also accompanying the storms in Milwaukee. Zoe Takaki, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024 This does not rule out the possibility that Barbera could subsequently get another full-fledged mandate and stay on board even longer. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 10 May 2024 He was quickly ruled out of the Korea games and scheduled for an MRI exam when the team returned home — one that ended up revealing fractures in the Nos. 5 and 6 ribs. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024

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.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rule out was circa 1658

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 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

rule out

verb
: to eliminate the possibility of

More from Merriam-Webster on rule out

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