rule out

verb

ruled out; ruling out; rules out

transitive verb

1
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 Johnson, Pels said, was not ruling out the possibility federal agencies were involved in the July assassination attempt. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2024 De la Torre didn’t rule out testifying before the committee at a later date. Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2024 But don’t rule out anything — sudden fires, violent stage dives, broken bones — when the wildman vocalist leads the return of Chicago’s beloved deviants Jesus Lizard as part of the Warm Love Cool Dreams festival (2:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; saltshedchicago.com). Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2024 Aoki didn’t rule out another run at gold in four years in Los Angeles. David Close, CNN, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rule out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rule out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rule out was circa 1658

Dictionary Entries Near rule out

Cite this Entry

“Rule out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rule%20out. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

rule out

verb
: to eliminate the possibility of

More from Merriam-Webster on rule out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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