as in to exclude
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of rule out
And don’t rule out Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota, who also played better than expected.
—
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Clouds will increase by this time and a spotty rain shower cannot be ruled out.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Hegeth’s statement on Monday suggests that the Pentagon has ruled out that more severe option.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
For Austin, while patchy fog can’t be ruled out other days this week, Monday is when it’s expected to be most widespread.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Clouds will increase by this time and a spotty rain shower cannot be ruled out.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Hegeth’s statement on Monday suggests that the Pentagon has ruled out that more severe option.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
For Austin, while patchy fog can’t be ruled out other days this week, Monday is when it’s expected to be most widespread.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
-
The team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell'Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestine protests.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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One-time use and valid towards food purchase only, alcohol excluded; no cash value and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion (including happy hour) excludes tax and gratuity.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There is a reason that Rice, who first renounced then rejoined her faith, often found her books banned.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
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Our findings help explain why a growing number of companies have rules restricting or banning relationships across reporting lines.—
Emily Nix,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Abrego Garcia’s lawyers further said the original removal order the government relies on, which was backdated to 2019, directs his deportation to El Salvador while simultaneously barring his removal to that country.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Jan. 2026
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Beyond the service commitments, the complaint accuses HMM of conditioning access to space on the payment of peak season surcharges (PSS) and other extra-contractual fees—despite contract language that expressly barred such add-ons unless mutually agreed.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This design concept predates the work triangle, and the presence of an additional kitchen space influences the functionality and design of the main kitchen, potentially eliminating the traditional triangle.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
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And as technology has evolved, proposals for interstellar spacecraft have become more miniaturized and automated, eliminating much of the need for human oversight (and even astronauts to pilot them).—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Other artists who were surprisingly shut out include Reneé Rapp and Benson Boone.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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But some acts were shut out of the competition altogether, while others' inclusions came as a surprise.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2019, the NBA learned this the hard way when a tweet from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey regarding Hong Kong led Chinese businesses to freeze out the association for years.—
Adam Minter,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Europeans have been struggling for a seat at the negotiating table, largely frozen out of talks between Washington and the Kremlin.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Heat, which was out-rebounded 61-38 in Wednesday’s loss in Denver, has had particular difficulty preventing teams from rebounding their own miss.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The letter cited Boise City Code, which prohibits selling or advertising unlimited alcoholic drinks for a single price.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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Therefore, all interaction and communication between contestants are prohibited.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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