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
Just before the game, the Rockets ruled out Kevin Durant with a knee injury.
—
Tim Rohan, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Small hail is possible, and an isolated weak/brief tornado can't be ruled out.
—Mary Ours, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Damaging winds and some large hail will be the main threat, but a tornado and some isolated flash flooding cannot be ruled out.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
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Tim Rohan, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Small hail is possible, and an isolated weak/brief tornado can't be ruled out.
—Mary Ours, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Damaging winds and some large hail will be the main threat, but a tornado and some isolated flash flooding cannot be ruled out.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
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 21 Apr. 2026.
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