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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Recent Examples of ruled out
Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Lee was charged with murder after the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office concluded homicidal violence could not be ruled out in Bravo’s death, with autopsy findings showing multiple abrasions and contusions and MDMA in her system.
—Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
Despite the strange set of circumstances, investigators hadn’t ruled out whether Albert disappeared on his own or if foul play was involved by the spring of 2020, according to the paper.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Large hail and tornadoes can't be ruled out.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 19 May 2026
But certainly nothing can be ruled out on that front.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
Tuesday's primary races in Georgia will be a test of Kemp’s own political power in the state; the outgoing Georgia governor has not ruled out a potential 2028 presidential run.
—Halle Troadec, ABC News, 19 May 2026
When City switch to attack the left side, O’Reilly is ruled out by Chelsea’s marking and Cole Palmer’s pressure forces City back into their own half.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 13 May 2026
An initial idea to make a documentary about the gas station was quickly ruled out.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 May 2026
Verb
The team is still working to determine next steps and has not ruled out surgery.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Lee was charged with murder after the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office concluded homicidal violence could not be ruled out in Bravo’s death, with autopsy findings showing multiple abrasions and contusions and MDMA in her system.
—Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
Despite the strange set of circumstances, investigators hadn’t ruled out whether Albert disappeared on his own or if foul play was involved by the spring of 2020, according to the paper.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Large hail and tornadoes can't be ruled out.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 19 May 2026
But certainly nothing can be ruled out on that front.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
Tuesday's primary races in Georgia will be a test of Kemp’s own political power in the state; the outgoing Georgia governor has not ruled out a potential 2028 presidential run.
—Halle Troadec, ABC News, 19 May 2026
When City switch to attack the left side, O’Reilly is ruled out by Chelsea’s marking and Cole Palmer’s pressure forces City back into their own half.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 13 May 2026
An initial idea to make a documentary about the gas station was quickly ruled out.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruled out
Verb
-
The contest has been clouded for a third year by calls for Israel to be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere, with five longtime participants — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotting in protest.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
-
The contest has been clouded for a third year by calls for Israel to be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere, with five longtime participants - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia - boycotting in protest.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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
Verb
-
Authorities reportedly fined him €500, or roughly $580 — and banned him from returning to the site, the outlet noted.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
Athletes have been suspended or banned for gambling violations.—
Luke Connors,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
An Independence judge also barred Driscoll from contacting his ex-wife, and ordered Driscoll to attend a domestic violence intervention program and refrain from making any online posts referencing her in any way.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
-
The nine-person advisory jury determined that the claims against OpenAI and Altman were barred due to the statute of limitations.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Being able to shut out the noise kept it from drowning out her voice.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
-
Wheeler’s win over Pittsburgh followed a masterful performance by Phillies left-hander, Christopher Sanchez, who shut out the same Pirates club May 16.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Young and Elijah came to blows on the apron, knowing that as soon as their feet touch the ground, they would be eliminated.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Those who deviate are eliminated, leaving a trail of blood that deters other would-be challengers.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
In January, polygraph-failing acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala uploaded sensitive government documents to ChatGPT after demanding and receiving an exemption to the agency policy that prohibited ChatGPT’s use by CISA personnel.—
Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
-
With the pause in place, the city will be prohibited from accepting, processing or approving any land use applications for data centers.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Reconomy identified several structural barriers across sectors that have prevented B2B textile circularity solutions from scaling to meet the demands of waste production.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
-
Her basketball schedule had prevented the former Iowa star from previously participating in race week activities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruled%20out. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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