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
Democrats have expressed fears that this could result in ICE officers surrounding polling stations — a possibility White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not rule out.
—
The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
After Bucks guard Ryan Rollins was ruled out ahead of Wednesday’s game between Orlando and Milwaukee at Kia Center because of right foot plantar fasciitis, coach Doc Rivers made a big adjustment from Monday’s contest that his team lost by 19 points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Iranian officials have ruled out putting its missiles, one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East, up for discussion.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The Australian contingent has suffered multiple injuries at the Olympics, including snowboard halfpipe hopeful Misaki Vaughan, who was ruled out after hitting her head in a fall.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
After Bucks guard Ryan Rollins was ruled out ahead of Wednesday’s game between Orlando and Milwaukee at Kia Center because of right foot plantar fasciitis, coach Doc Rivers made a big adjustment from Monday’s contest that his team lost by 19 points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Iranian officials have ruled out putting its missiles, one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East, up for discussion.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The Australian contingent has suffered multiple injuries at the Olympics, including snowboard halfpipe hopeful Misaki Vaughan, who was ruled out after hitting her head in a fall.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
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Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, came in line with expectations.—
Lisa Kailai Han,Sean Conlon,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Asia, excluding Japan, accounts for about 26 percent of LVMH’s business, and includes high-growth countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The researchers recommended that the EU pass legislation proposed by the European Commission to ban Hungary and Slovakia’s imports of Russian crude oil as soon as possible.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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Sappenfield was permanently banned by the United States Center for SafeSport in May 2024 for physical and emotional misconduct, retaliation, abuse of process, and failure to report a potential SafeSport violation.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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House Bill 572, which would bar doctors and teachers from encouraging gender transitions without parental consent, has not yet received a committee hearing.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Feb. 2026
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Arrive late and, barring a traffic accident, you’re disqualified.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their biggest criticism is that CIC wants to eliminate the herd, instead of managing it through regulated hunting.—
Kris Millgate,
Outdoor Life,
6 Feb. 2026
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As the old trick says, baking soda can help eliminate odors in the fridge.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Butt finished off the scoring in the third period, while Caera Hart (15 saves) shut out the Dragons over the last 30 minutes of action.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
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After the pandemic, a rapid rise in home prices coincided with stubbornly high mortgage rates, shutting out potential buyers.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s been a point of friction between federal authorities and state investigators, who complain that they have been frozen out of those cases so far with no access to evidence.—
Steve Karnowski,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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That is not the case under a strong-mayor system, where councilmembers are frozen out of operational decisions and responsibility.—
Steven Falk,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even worse, that money was supposed to go toward preventing and reversing drug overdoses amid an ongoing opioid epidemic.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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The same dangerous whiteout conditions that caused the avalanche Tuesday have prevented recovery crews from returning to the remote Sierra Nevada backcountry to bring home the bodies, officials said in an update Wednesday.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The group is pushing for legislation to prohibit out-of-school suspensions for nonviolent behavior.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
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The bill would also prohibit districts from participating in the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) — a funding option that provides free meals for every student in high-poverty schools — without the Legislature’s explicit permission.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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