RULING OUT Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

ruling out

verb

present participle of rule out

as in excluding

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

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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 ruling out Additional checkpoints may help identify gaps or inconsistencies, ruling out the bad actors. — John Bou, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Additional observations steadily refined the asteroid's orbit, eliminating any possibility of a collision in 2029 and also ruling out any impact threat for at least the next century, according to NASA. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 July 2026 After ruling out all other possibilities, Dhingra finally diagnosed Williams with IC‑MPGN, a kidney disease related to the immune system. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 June 2026 Boston is not ruling out the idea is my intel. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026 But in the decades since PBHs were first proposed, astronomers found clever ways to narrow down their plausible range of masses, ruling out many scenarios in which these black holes could account for dark matter. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 4 June 2026 Many researchers think quantum computers are at an advantage here, because the process of classically ruling out insignificant configurations can get prohibitively difficult. — Quanta Magazine, 29 May 2026 Investigators are not ruling out weather or any other contributing factors. — Francie Ebert, NBC news, 16 May 2026 Bonta, a Democrat, is running for another four-year term after ruling out a run for governor amid questions about his involvement in an FBI East Bay corruption case. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruling out

Verb

Miami held Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1 ACC) to 22 rushing yards on 16 attempts (41 yards on 13 attempts if excluding the 19 yards lost on three sacks).

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
In fact, there might not be another media network in the country, other than BET, that has prioritized excluding white people from its hiring practices as much as ESPN has over the past decade.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of excluding

Verb

Cypress Creek ended the state’s longest winless streak in a big way, shutting out Lake Buena Vista 32-0 to stop the Bears’ skid at 35 consecutive losses.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Chinander moved away from that in the second half, forcing Stokes into shorter-range passes and ultimately shutting out the Tigers.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of shutting out

Verb

Pluto's atmosphere appears to be freezing out as the dwarf planet moves ever further away from the sun, according to careful observations of Pluto astronomers made as it was seen passing in front of stars in the sky.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
The Democratic Party’s nightmare scenario would involve both Republican candidates advancing to November’s general election, freezing out Democrats from the governor’s office for the first time since 2011.

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

Definition of freezing out

Verb

The treatment offers an alternative to daily long-acting insulin, potentially eliminating more than 300 injections a year , according to Lilly .

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
Plans also call for eliminating teacher-student staff ratios, defaulting caps to the licensing requirements of each state.

— Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of eliminating

Verb

Some ticketholders had already refunded their tickets after Macklemore and the trek’s other opening acts dropped off Sheeran’s Loop Tour, in part because of Kraft’s mandate barring Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
The brothers hope to open Skorch’d by December 1, barring any obstacles.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of barring

Browse Nearby Words

ruling (on)

ruling out

rulings

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“Ruling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling%20out. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ruling out

verb

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