as in excludes
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of rules out
And to me, that’s very alien to imagine that the Universe could be not following some laws, that there isn’t some set of rules out there that determines what really happens?
—
Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
None of this rules out an agreement on Chinese investments in the US as part of a broader trade deal.
—semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
That rules out fanciful speculation that the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell, Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi and others who don’t hail from UK shores are in the running.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
Well, that rules out a whole lot of major villains that Reeves may have adapted, after previously doing high profile ones like The Riddler, Catwoman (well, sometimes-villain) and the all-time great Colin Farrell Penguin.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This approach helps untangle cause from coincidence – and rules out confounding factors better than with observational studies.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
None of this rules out an agreement on Chinese investments in the US as part of a broader trade deal.
—semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
That rules out fanciful speculation that the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Glen Powell, Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi and others who don’t hail from UK shores are in the running.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
Well, that rules out a whole lot of major villains that Reeves may have adapted, after previously doing high profile ones like The Riddler, Catwoman (well, sometimes-villain) and the all-time great Colin Farrell Penguin.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This approach helps untangle cause from coincidence – and rules out confounding factors better than with observational studies.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rules out
Verb
-
Despite this change, eligibility is narrow and excludes many people, including those sentenced to life without parole, despite evidence showing that people age out of crime and resentencing does not compromise public safety.—
Nicole D. Porter,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Chinese version of Apple Maps doesn’t recognize the sovereignty of Taiwan, and the Chinese version of iOS excludes Taiwan’s flag from the emoji keyboard.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The law bans fees on the tax or tip portions of customers’ bills.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
More than 60% of voters approved the Fair Districts Amendment in 2010, which bans partisan gerrymandering and redrawing maps to dilute the power of racial minorities.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Islam bars charging interest, so banks find other ways to ensure people get a return, often by offering bondholders a share of profits or giving lenders an ownership stake.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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And many of the court’s six conservative justices seemed sympathetic to the Justice Department’s argument that the law bars courts from reviewing those determinations.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s 2027 budget, released a few days before CISA issued its current advisory, proposes to cut more than seven hundred million dollars from the agency; among other things, the budget eliminates its election-security program.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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This approach eliminates the federal gas and diesel taxes, lowering gas prices and reducing the pain at the pump.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The other thing to note here is Havertz’s positioning, which prevents Murphy committing to pushing up on to Eze.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Ultraviolet light is known to accelerate collagen breakdown and uneven pigmentation, so regular use prevents further damage and maintains skin quality.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The platform prohibits creators from owning or creating new channels following a termination.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
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The order prohibits Pearce from contacting Jackson or coming within 500 feet of her home or workplace or within 100 feet of her vehicle.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rules out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rules%20out. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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