ruled out 1 of 2

adjective

as in shut out

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ruled out

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rule out
as in excluded
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of another loss would rule them out of the tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 ruled out
Verb
Golden State remains the second seed in the league, and Nakase ruled out making any changes to the starting lineup. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026 When asked about the weapons cache and if it was intended for assassinations on behalf of Russian intelligence, Dobrindt said that foreign involvement couldn’t be ruled out. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Aug. 2026 Devdutt Paddikal comes in for Sai Sudharsan, who is ruled out of this series due to a stress fracture injury. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 Here’s the Latest on His Case In January, the federal judge ruled out the possibility of Mangione facing the death penalty. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to bring Taiwan under party’s control, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026 For most of the history of solar physics, that has ruled out every telescope on Earth. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out fracking in a key basin, citing danger to nearby water tables and indigenous communities — a move that highlights her political balancing act as the country strives to wean off US energy. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 6 Aug. 2026 While an isolated afternoon shower can't be ruled out, many neighborhoods will stay dry. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruled out
  1. stopped
  2. excluded
  3. banned
  4. barred
  5. shut out
  6. eliminated
  7. prohibited
  8. prevented
Adjective
  • Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.
    — Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The truck crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the stopped Kia, striking the three pedestrians, CHP said.
    — Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Feb. 2026
Definition of stopped
Verb
  • Investigators collected handwriting samples from dozens of people, and all the individuals tested were excluded except for Patsy, whom examiners were unable to eliminate as the possible author.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But the two largest institutions — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University — were excluded.
    — David A. Lieb, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of excluded
Verb
  • Facing fuel shortages at home, Moscow has banned gas and diesel exports through the end of January 2027.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Prestianni denied the allegation and was subsequently banned by UEFA and FIFA after admitting to using a homophobic (rather than racist) slur against the Madrid forward.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of banned
Verb
  • Chinese smart TVs are already barred from government buildings on exactly that logic.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Charlotte has temporarily barred uptown food vendors from operating after midnight, citing a rise in late-night violence in the area.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of barred
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
  • As a result of dropping the primary discrimination claims, the court eliminated the $2 million in punitive damages and $100,000 for emotional distress.
    — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Measles cases reach record high Measles cases in the United States have surpassed last year's total and are at their highest since the disease was eliminated from the country nearly three decades ago, according to CDC data.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of eliminated
Verb
  • She was ordered to surrender her police identification, keys, weapon, and radio, and was prohibited from entering department property without the chief’s permission.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Cameras are allowed only to capture relevant information for the violation and are prohibited from continuous recording.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of prohibited
Verb
  • Reuters published an interview with Sinan Can Demir, a Texas computer science student who in late July prevented a rogue version of Anthropic’s Mythos model from uploading malicious code to an open-source software project on Github.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • ProPublica went further, enlisting the help of experts to determine which of those deaths could have been prevented.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of prevented

Browse Nearby Words

ruled (on)
ruled out
rule (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Ruled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruled%20out. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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