RULE OUT Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rule out

verb

Definition of rule out

as in to exclude

to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of another loss would rule them out of the tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of rule out These options haven’t been ruled out by the current administration. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 But Friday hasn’t ruled out a return to the Miami area in the future, perhaps as one of its pop-up ABFF sites. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 The Netherlands was absent from Eurovision in 2026, when Avrotros pulled out for the first time over Israel’s participation and NPO ruled out identifying another broadcaster. — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026 Echoing previous comments, Bessent declined to rule out targeting the banks in the future. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rule out

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out

Verb

The campaign said state officials intend to recount only the votes cast for Lindell and Demuth and not all the votes cast in the Republican gubernatorial primary, while excluding votes for other candidates in the race.

— Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Rutherford argues that taxpayers should not finance elections that exclude eligible voters, particularly in districts where the primary effectively determines the winner.

— Kevin Richardson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of exclude

Verb

New Jersey banned phones in the classroom, starting with this school year.

— Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
In June a popular Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, together with eight members of her band and production team, were sentenced in Qom to 74 lashes and banned from leaving the country for two years.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of ban

Verb

The designation barred defense contractors from using Anthropic's technology in their work with the agency.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
In an agricultural county where Latinos make up 27% of residents, Idaho leaders encourage local cooperation with ICE — a level of coordination barred by sanctuary laws in neighboring states.

— Rachel Spacek, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of bar

Verb

Really feel like some cold-weather teams are eliminating a possible late-season and postseason home-field advantage, but that's their choice (it should be noted that the Minnesota Vikings haven't played in a Super Bowl since moving indoors).

— Jim Reineking, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
After D’Amaro in April revealed layoffs affecting up to 1,000 employees, Disney in July eliminated several hundred positions, with Pixar and National Geographic among the divisions most affected by the cuts.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of eliminate

Verb

Patriots were shut out by Hart and need to get their passing game going.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before.

— U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of shut out

Verb

Pluto's atmosphere appears to be freezing out as the dwarf planet moves ever further away from the sun, according to careful observations of Pluto astronomers made as it was seen passing in front of stars in the sky.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
With Villa manager Unai Emery doubting the wisdom of triggering the clause to buy him, Elliott was frozen out.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Definition of freeze out

Verb

The problem is, Isolde is very busy with work, so Ry is often left to herself with four alarms a day to take medication to prevent seizures.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
Shingles, which can cause painful rashes, fever, chills, headaches and fatigue, can be prevented by getting the two-dose vaccine, which is about 90% effective in the elderly.

— Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of prevent

Verb

The law is aimed at prohibiting children from obtaining books and movies with obscene content.

— Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Other efforts to battle the practice Maryland was the first in the country to prohibit large grocery stores and delivery services from using personal data to set prices for specific customers.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of prohibit

Browse Nearby Words

rule (on)

rule out

ruler

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of rule out

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes