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
The pope has ruled out the idea—asserted repeatedly by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—that America’s campaign in Iran enjoys divine favor.
—
Francis X. Rocca, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Center Jaxson Hayes also is dealing with a left foot injury and didn’t play Tuesday or Thursday; he was ruled out for Friday’s game against Phoenix and remains day-to-day.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Thunder chances are lower along the Peninsula than elsewhere in the Bay Area, though an odd lightning bolt cannot be ruled out, especially around Redwood City and cities closer to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2026
Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Francis X. Rocca, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Center Jaxson Hayes also is dealing with a left foot injury and didn’t play Tuesday or Thursday; he was ruled out for Friday’s game against Phoenix and remains day-to-day.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Thunder chances are lower along the Peninsula than elsewhere in the Bay Area, though an odd lightning bolt cannot be ruled out, especially around Redwood City and cities closer to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
—Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2026
Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
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When politicos were excluded, Joe Rogan led the list, followed by Fox News personalities Greg Gutfeld and Sean Hannity, and then TuckerCarlson and Ben Shapiro.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
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To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That legislation, pending action from the governor, bans new data centers through November 2027 and creates a new state council to provide strategic input, facilitate planning considerations and evaluate policy tools to address data centers, Maine Morning Star reported.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
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New York City has already banned gas stoves and furnaces in new buildings, and Albany is moving to copy California’s approach by requiring zero-emission vehicles for future car, pickup, and SUV sales.—
Nicole Malliotakis,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Missouri lawmakers are seeking a constitutional amendment to bar their state from offering such optional exemptions.—
Samantha Liss,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Renaud Agbodjo, leader of The Democrats, the main opposition party, was barred from competing in Sunday's vote after failing to secure enough parliamentary endorsements, which critics say is a threshold engineered to keep out rivals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They were eliminated from playoff contention with six games to spare, a decrease of 13 games from last year.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Hot sleepers know the feeling of tossing, turning, and sweating through too-warm bedding especially well, but the proper seasonal bedding can eliminate this issue.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They’ve been shut out three times during this dismal stretch.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
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They have been shut out three times in their past five games and have scored a total of 10 runs during the losing streak, including just one in the first two games of this series at Dodger Stadium.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This review is scheduled to be complete next year and has the potential to freeze out full-size pickups designed with no consideration for things like European pedestrian safety.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
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Speaking of options, is there anything Democrats could do if they’re frozen out of the runoff?—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Neighbors in Hollywood's North Lake neighborhood lost their fight to prevent a new apartment building from being constructed, after the City Commission approved the four-story, 22-unit building at North 16th Avenue and Shenandoah Street.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Cities in California and Washington state similarly passed laws to prevent businesses from refusing cash as a form of payment, McClatchy Media said.—
Hali Smith
April 15,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In February, one California state senator introduced a bill that would specifically prohibit secret recordings with wearable devices like smart glasses in businesses and ensure the recording lights are always visible.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
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Coordinating between those groups and candidate campaigns is generally prohibited by federal law.—
Julie Carr Smyth,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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