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
Sunday's deals with the United Teachers of Los Angeles and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles do not rule out a strike on Tuesday, April 14, but the district believes that schools can operate as scheduled.
—
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
During the call, chief operating officer Dan Janki ruled out short-term concerns about jet fuel shortages.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
Coach Diego Simeone has not ruled out Jan Oblak’s return even though the goalkeeper hasn’t played since March 10 because of a muscle injury.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Lebanese officials have pushed for a truce, which Israel has ruled out.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
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.
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
During the call, chief operating officer Dan Janki ruled out short-term concerns about jet fuel shortages.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
Coach Diego Simeone has not ruled out Jan Oblak’s return even though the goalkeeper hasn’t played since March 10 because of a muscle injury.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Lebanese officials have pushed for a truce, which Israel has ruled out.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 14 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 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
