rule out
verb
ruled out; ruling out; rules out
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
If there’s increasing pain, discharge, or swelling, an infection should be ruled out.
—
Sherri Gordon, Parents, 22 Dec. 2025
The president has proposed purchasing the island and refused to rule out military action to seize control of it.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Dec. 2025
He was ruled out and the Ravens, with their playoff hopes in the balance, had to trust Huntley to get the job done.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
And in 2019, the court said Texas failed to account for the possible error range in an IQ score, assuming that a score over 70 ruled out an intellectual disability.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sherri Gordon, Parents, 22 Dec. 2025
The president has proposed purchasing the island and refused to rule out military action to seize control of it.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Dec. 2025
He was ruled out and the Ravens, with their playoff hopes in the balance, had to trust Huntley to get the job done.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
And in 2019, the court said Texas failed to account for the possible error range in an IQ score, assuming that a score over 70 ruled out an intellectual disability.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20out. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share