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

If they were imported at the CM1e’s Chinese market price of $39,000, tariffs would drive the cost up to nearly $89,000, excluding the cost of Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware that likely exceeds $10,000.

— Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
The labor force participation rate, which influences the unemployment, is something to watch after reaching a 50-year low in June (excluding the Covid pandemic era).

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of excluding

Verb

But with France about to enter its peak August tourist season, Gironde authorities took more steps to keep vacationers away, banning holiday camps for children and for people with disabilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 July 2026
Frank added that individual nations could, for example, take action against constellations of orbiting mirrors by banning them from beaming light onto their territory at a threat of hefty fines.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of banning

Verb

Orlando put a stop to a two-game losing streak in shutting out Chicago for the second time this season.

— Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
And the Cup created new stars, like 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who gained millions of Instagram followers after shutting out Spain.

— Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026

Definition of shutting out

Verb

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
Minnesota officials said on Thursday that the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation and freezing out state investigators.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026

Definition of freezing out

Verb

No small part was eliminating suspects who might want Bakley dead.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Coming up next, the bridges will be finished with the end goal of putting all of the entering and exiting traffic of I-79 through a single intersection on the west side of the interstate, and eliminating the existing intersection on the east side.

— John Shumway, CBS News, 30 July 2026

Definition of eliminating

Verb

The early Olympic movement reinforced those same attitudes by barring women from major track and field events altogether.

— Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
In June, the city secured a preliminary injunction barring GLAZA from retaining or distributing the endowment after its operating agreement with the zoo expired last year.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 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 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ruling out

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