as in excludes
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of rules out
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
Well, that rules out a whole lot of major villains that Reeves may have adapted, after previously doing high profile ones like The Riddler, Catwoman (well, sometimes-villain) and the all-time great Colin Farrell Penguin.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This approach helps untangle cause from coincidence – and rules out confounding factors better than with observational studies.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
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
Well, that rules out a whole lot of major villains that Reeves may have adapted, after previously doing high profile ones like The Riddler, Catwoman (well, sometimes-villain) and the all-time great Colin Farrell Penguin.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
This approach helps untangle cause from coincidence – and rules out confounding factors better than with observational studies.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rules out
Verb
-
This definition excludes some workers covered by state or labor contract mandates.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Lorie Konish,Kamaron McNair,Greg Iacurci,Mike Winters,Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The vote shifts pressure back to the Senate, which left Washington for a two-week recess after passing a bipartisan funding deal that excludes ICE and Border Patrol.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Global online forum Reddit on Friday filed a court challenge to Australia’s world-first law that bans Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on the world’s most popular social media platforms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The measure aims to build on a state law that bans gender affirming procedures for minors.—
Emma Murphy,
Oklahoma Voice,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hence a new lawsuit challenging a medical scholarship administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that bars applicants who don’t have Native Hawaiian ancestry.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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The order Thursday also bars other agencies from cutting off their work with Anthropic.—
Gary Grumbach,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The plan also eliminates the $1,000-per-seat wastewater fee for new builds and remodels.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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No policy could accelerate lenacapavir’s implementation more than one that eliminates the drug’s marginal cost.—
Michael Rose,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Helium enables smooth production of semiconductors since the gas prevents unwanted chemical reactions in the manufacturing process.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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Using a combination of durable ceramic materials and specialized membranes, the filtration unit can remove extremely small contaminants while maintaining stable operation through a self-cleaning thermal mechanism that prevents buildup and degradation over time.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Welcoming City Ordinance in Chicago prohibits police from participating in civil immigration enforcement operations or assisting ICE.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Min Aung Hlaing, who holds the rank of senior general, had earlier relinquished his post of the commander-in-chief because the constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rules out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rules%20out. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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