RULES OUT Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rules out

verb

present tense third-person singular of rule out

as in excludes

to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of another loss would rule them out of the tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 rules out But at the prospect of engagement dropping by even one percent, Zuckerberg rules out any serious measures against content violation, making Charlie furious by refusing to consider policing political ads for falsehoods. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 Well, there are some rules out there already in terms of states requiring that companies list salary ranges in the job descriptions. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 Something so bright isn’t fueled with nuclear fusion, which rules out traditional stellar objects. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Aug. 2026 The statute rules out radios, CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable or desktop telephones, copiers or other office equipment, furniture, or fixtures. — Zuri Primos july 25, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026 The paper also rules out a competing explanation. — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rules out

Verb

That excludes money funneled through nonprofits that conceal their donors.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Israel’s largest Arab party grouping declared its support Thursday for Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government, potentially clearing the path for a coalition that excludes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of excludes

Verb

Arizona voters passed a measure that bans cities and towns from raising taxes on groceries until July 2027.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026
Right now, California bans public money from funding political campaigns, except in a handful of cities like Berkeley and San Francisco.

— Kiara Adams, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of bans

Verb

Peña's removal bars him from the lifetime Senate seat granted to elected former presidents under Paraguay's Constitution, denying him the parliamentary immunity that would accompany it.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Blank wrote that if confirmed, the relationship presents a serious conflict of interest that bars Garcia from participating in canvassing decisions affecting a candidate represented by an immediate relative.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of bars

Verb

City voters also approved Question H, which creates a new department that handles all water and wastewater, and Question E, which eliminates the requirement that city contracts go to the lowest bidder.

— Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
The pending closure of the four Westside child-care centers eliminates more than 450 licensed spots for young children, according to California records.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of eliminates

Verb

Hemphill says doing the main pruning in spring prevents winter damage to tender young shoots and gives them a clean start for the new season.

— The Spruce, The Spruce, 8 Nov. 2026
If the state offers a public benefit to everyone but someone’s religious belief prevents them from being able to obtain that public benefit (in this case, 15 hours of funding for each student), must the state bend to accommodate that belief?

— Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of prevents

Verb

OpenAI competitor Anthropic, which is planning to go public this month, highlighted the issue in its prospectus, even though the Claude creator prohibits children from using its product.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
Civil Code Section 4754 prohibits HOAs from completely banning the installation of energy efficient windows.

— Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of prohibits

Browse Nearby Words

rules (on)

rules out

ruling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rules out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rules%20out. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of rules out

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes