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

In forensic parlance, a diagnosis of exclusion is one reached by ruling out other plausible causes; drowning can be challenging to prove, because often there’s no telltale sign that one occurred. — Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

Rookie Romello Height broke his hand in last week’s win over the Miami Dolphins, though he has not been ruled out for the Cardinals game. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Indiana's loss was made worse when starting center Aliyah Boston was ruled out with a right lower leg injury. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

South Africa is battling with a lengthy injury list with four of its frontline bowlers including Kagiso Rabada and Kwena Maphaka ruled out of the series due to hamstring injuries. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

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