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
-
Colorado recently enacted legislation granting free access to state parks for members of two of our sister signatory Tribes, while excluding the Ute Indian Tribe — descendants of bands that occupied what is today the state of Colorado from time immemorial.—
Shaun Chapoose,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
The district has seen a long-term decline in PreK-12 enrollment, excluding charter schools, and projections indicate a further drop by 2030-2031.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Public libraries in 2025 navigated a year that saw the challenging, and banning of, thousands of books, stiffer budgetary limits and federal threats to funding.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
This gets back to the partisan gerrymandering issue, which Congress, of course, could pass a law tomorrow banning partisan gerrymandering.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 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
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Trump said that, if elected, Letlow would assist his administration with energy development, lowering taxes and eliminating regulations.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
Raman has pledged her support for expanding the state’s $750-million tax incentive program, streamlining permitting and lowering fees and eliminating those for small productions.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
California’s Proposition 13 ensures that the assessed value of the land will stay low, barring sale or development.—
Graham Womack
May 18,
Sacbee.com,
18 May 2026
-
Peña is currently on a minor-league rehab assignment and, barring any setbacks, should rejoin the Astros during their upcoming road trip to Minnesota.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruling%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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