as in shut out
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as in excluded
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 ruled out
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Republicans are expected to have a much easier time retaining the Senate than the House, but a loss can’t be ruled out.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Authorities have ruled out drugs or alcohol as a factor in the accident.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Most of the others have been ruled out in connection with the case, after being shown to have been discarded by agents assisting in the search.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Every possible explanation that isn’t ruled out or contradicted by the already-existing data should be considered, and each hypothesis should be tested and examined as rigorously as possible.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump has not ruled out the possibility of granting Maxwell a pardon or commutation.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump has not ruled out granting Maxwell clemency, but Republican pushback to that notion quickly rose after Maxwell made the appeal.
—Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Despite receiving the second largest number of votes, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut ruled out joining Bhumjaithai in government and instead vowed to hold Anutin’s government to account in opposition.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
He was first ruled out for the 69-57 loss to Washington over the weekend.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Republicans are expected to have a much easier time retaining the Senate than the House, but a loss can’t be ruled out.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Authorities have ruled out drugs or alcohol as a factor in the accident.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Most of the others have been ruled out in connection with the case, after being shown to have been discarded by agents assisting in the search.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Every possible explanation that isn’t ruled out or contradicted by the already-existing data should be considered, and each hypothesis should be tested and examined as rigorously as possible.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump has not ruled out the possibility of granting Maxwell a pardon or commutation.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Trump has not ruled out granting Maxwell clemency, but Republican pushback to that notion quickly rose after Maxwell made the appeal.
—Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Despite receiving the second largest number of votes, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut ruled out joining Bhumjaithai in government and instead vowed to hold Anutin’s government to account in opposition.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruled out
Verb
-
With revenues soaring, the late President Hugo Chávez, a left-wing populist, lavished cash on Venezuelan masses long excluded from the petroleum windfall.—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Too many communities are excluded from growth.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
One clip appears to show a Waymo vehicle stopped while other vehicles illegally pass a stopped bus.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That's when a 51-year-old woman driving a Tesla south on Highway 85 struck the Focus, causing both cars to spin and crash into a stopped semi-truck.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Petrosian will compete as a neutral athlete after Russia was banned from the Olympics for its invasion of Ukraine, and as a result, the country has not participated in international competition in years.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Debate swirls around whether these financial behemoths should be banned.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, said Clark deserved a tougher punishment, including being barred from practicing law in the state.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Exile is a state of being barred from a homeland—of being forced to live in a foreign world as punishment for not conforming.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
During his regime, political parties were eliminated, opponents were executed, and Park named himself president for life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The federal electric vehicle tax incentive was also eliminated in 2025, so there was a sales bump as American drivers took advantage of the tax credit before it was removed.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said parking on the shoulder of the highway near Meyers Beach is prohibited while the ice caves remain open.—
Danielle Kaeding,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
-
What items are prohibited at Innings Festival 2026?—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Liu skated on, mastering her jumps and repeating as national champion in 2020, though age restrictions prevented her from entering international competitions.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The dog was found alive and was led off the mountain by rangers, officials said, but poor weather conditions initially prevented crews from recovering the hiker’s body.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruled%20out. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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