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
The Suns were without star Devin Booker, who was ruled out with a right ankle sprain, and NorCal native Jalen Green (hamstring/hip) was also out.
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Developer Rick Caruso ruled out a run for a second time this year.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Kaiser was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game, and his status is to be determined heading into the break.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The decision came one day after Thomas was ruled out for personal reasons ahead of Brooklyn’s road game against the Orlando Magic and didn’t travel with the team.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Developer Rick Caruso ruled out a run for a second time this year.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Kaiser was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game, and his status is to be determined heading into the break.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The decision came one day after Thomas was ruled out for personal reasons ahead of Brooklyn’s road game against the Orlando Magic and didn’t travel with the team.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rule out
Verb
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And some Boricuas anticipate that people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds won’t feel excluded.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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Mangione isn’t due in court again in the state case until May, when Carro is expected to rule on a defense request to exclude certain evidence that prosecutors say connects Mangione to the killing.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, sign language was banned in many Deaf schools, and children were required to attempt to speak and read lips.—
Claire Rafford,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
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In the wake of that incident — and a similar one involving then-Iowa women’s star Caitlin Clark the same week — there was debate around the sport about whether court storms needed to be banned moving forward, lest players be injured during them.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The judge also barred Jones’ attorneys from presenting evidence related to other people confessing to the murder, allegedly placing a hit on Pata and threatening Pata before his killing.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
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The proposal bolsters a 2017 law generally barring cities from passing laws to limit short-term rentals.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
10 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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Wilson isn’t alone in shutting out the noise of the industry’s upheaval.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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High school prospects who previously would have merited Football Championship Subdivision scholarship offers now are only getting Division II offers, and those who before the portal were worthy of Division II offers are getting shut out.—
Ken Sugiura,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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And businesses from Australian wine makers to Norwegian salmon farmers have been frozen out of the massive China market in recent years when their governments fell foul of Beijing.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Understanding how these factors can cause colon cancer goes a long way in helping prevent it.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Some were concerned the federal government would take the land or prevent access.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Chung Hyeon, the 2018 Australian Open semifinalist who saw Achilles and back injuries derail his career, and Kwon Soon-woo, whose ranking has been depressed by military service that prohibits his playing outside South Korea, stunning Argentina.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The new restrictions, which took effect last week, prohibit people from carrying open containers and stop vendors from selling alcohol outdoors.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rule%20out. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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