rule out
verb
ruled out; ruling out; rules out
2
: to make impossible : prevent
Heavy rain ruled out the picnic.
Examples of rule out in a Sentence
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
Recent Examples on the Web
The new attorney general did not rule out the possibility of legal action against Porras, who has several complaints against her, including one for human trafficking in irregular adoptions, and her associates.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
News and notes • Daniel Palencia has been ruled out until sometime after the All-Star break.
—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
While Middleton hasn’t been ruled out, he was not targeted by the Heat early in free agency, according to a league source.
—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Trump has continued attacks against Carroll, even after being ordered to pay millions for his other comments, and Carroll’s attorneys have not ruled out bringing further litigation.
—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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ABC News,
1 July 2026
News and notes • Daniel Palencia has been ruled out until sometime after the All-Star break.
—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
While Middleton hasn’t been ruled out, he was not targeted by the Heat early in free agency, according to a league source.
—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Trump has continued attacks against Carroll, even after being ordered to pay millions for his other comments, and Carroll’s attorneys have not ruled out bringing further litigation.
—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for rule out
Cite this Entry
“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20out. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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