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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rule out
Jonathan Kuminga was ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Wolves, diagnosed with left knee soreness on the team’s official injury report.
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Unlike Earth, however, Europa's ocean is deprived of oxygen and sealed off from sunlight, ruling out photosynthesis and requiring any potential life to rely on chemical energy instead.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
But for now, scientists cannot rule out the possibility that one slipped past Earth nearly three years ago, sending a lone emissary into an underwater neutrino detector.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances with NATO and recently refused to ruled out leaving the alliance over his contentious push to annex Greenland.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Unlike Earth, however, Europa's ocean is deprived of oxygen and sealed off from sunlight, ruling out photosynthesis and requiring any potential life to rely on chemical energy instead.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026
But for now, scientists cannot rule out the possibility that one slipped past Earth nearly three years ago, sending a lone emissary into an underwater neutrino detector.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances with NATO and recently refused to ruled out leaving the alliance over his contentious push to annex Greenland.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
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Trustees also agreed to form a closed-session subcommittee composed of the four board members present, excluding Becerra from participating.—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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Offered at an affordable price by retail outlets (like IKEA and Lidl in Germany), balcony solar kits offer an accessible entry point to renewable energy for lower- and middle-income families who have been historically excluded from solar adoption.—
Calvin Ball,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Several red states have proposed legislation modeled on California's 2023 law, which bans four food additives.—
Alan Greenblatt,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will consider several draft proposals in its Tuesday hearing, with some aiming to ban states from setting rules for AVs at all and others looking to lax exemption requirements.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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He was echoed by Italian opposition leaders including former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte who demanded Italy bar them from entering the country.—
Alessandra Migliaccio,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
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There, private security last summer repeatedly barred protesters and photo journalists from entering or observing at the entry.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
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In fact, baking soda's uses are extensive because of its grittiness and its ability to eliminate odors.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The downside, of course, is that a lack of funding means the creators either need to relegate their work to side-project status while working day jobs or find independent sources of funding, which can shut out more junior creators or those without pre-existing resources.—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Knight, who shut out Winnipeg on Monday night, made 28 saves in regulation and overtime for his second straight win.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Minnesota officials said on Thursday that the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation and freezing out state investigators.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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This formula contains niacinamide to help support hair and skin health, ashwagandha extract to soothe, and biotin to help strengthen hair and prevent breakage.—
Andrea Navarro,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
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The yen touched its strongest level since October in US trading Tuesday after comments from Japanese officials, including just recently the finance minister, fueled speculation that the government may intervene in the market to prevent the currency from resuming its decline.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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 31 Jan. 2026.
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