as in excluding
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of ruling out
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
The poll comes out as White House officials have repeatedly avoided ruling out a ground invasion.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Trump is not ruling out the possibility of military strikes on Iran.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Smith for some time has dangled the prospect of running as an unconventional candidate against a field of career politicians, but there’s a big gap between not ruling out a run and actually doing it.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Once there, Glick quickly gathered information that contradicted claims the authorities had made in ruling out foul play.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
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
The poll comes out as White House officials have repeatedly avoided ruling out a ground invasion.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
The Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk was back in court Friday as a state judge denied some efforts by his attorneys to restrict public access to court documents while not ruling out the possibility of closing portions of an upcoming hearing.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
Trump is not ruling out the possibility of military strikes on Iran.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Smith for some time has dangled the prospect of running as an unconventional candidate against a field of career politicians, but there’s a big gap between not ruling out a run and actually doing it.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Investigators are not ruling out sabotage carried out by anarchists, citing similarities to the sabotage that targeted the French network during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by multiple malicious acts including arson.
—Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Once there, Glick quickly gathered information that contradicted claims the authorities had made in ruling out foul play.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruling out
Verb
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Depending on titles, MK2 Films represents worldwide rights, excluding North America, to a selection of features restored through the Foundation’s World Cinema Project.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
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In a video call with reporters, Eskamani said the suspension allows time to craft new rules excluding sloths from being allowed to be kept as pets or for exhibition.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Many are taking a more aggressive approach than Florida in identifying and banning suspect nurses, but the process can be difficult.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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The language on the website isn’t clear whether the open-carry rollback is just a request, and optional, or is a firm store rule, like the one banning dogs inside stores.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The Ducks buckled down and were six seconds away from shutting out the Golden Knights.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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The Orlando Pride broke a two-match losing streak late Friday by shutting down and shutting out the North Carolina Courage 1-0 in front of 7,088 fans at Inter&Co Stadium.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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While the city has admirably put forward goals such as reducing chronic homelessness by 50%, ending family homelessness and eliminating long-term encampments within five years, there appear to be no consequences for repeatedly failing to meet these targets.—
Adam B. Summers,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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The state has toyed with eliminating township government for years.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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This being Year One of the rebuild, the internal options to fill that out are scarce, barring an absolute best-case scenario trajectory.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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The Supreme Court is considering an emergency application by pharmaceutical companies that produce mifepristone to lift a lower court's ruling barring the drug from being dispensed by telehealth providers or distributed by mail as litigation continues.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling%20out. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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