How to Use rule out in a Sentence

rule out

verb
  • The union has not ruled out a longer strike in the future.
    Debbie Truong, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023
  • But here’s the thing: Hubble didn’t rule out that Barnard’s Star could have planets.
    John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 25 Aug. 2022
  • Set a few mouse traps in your garage to rule out any unwanted pests.
    Beth Kaufman, Good Housekeeping, 26 Jan. 2021
  • Kidd didn’t rule out the chance of Doncic re-joining the team during this five-game road trip.
    Dallas News, 4 Feb. 2023
  • Have researchers ruled out any of the five possible worlds?
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
  • All three players have been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2024
  • The youth of these players also allowed the research team to rule out aging as the cause of the damage.
    Celia Ford, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
  • If blood tests were used to rule out Alzheimer’s, the average wait times would drop to 13 months, researchers say.
    Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 15 Aug. 2024
  • While most of the rain is light, a few heavier downpours and even a rumble of thunder can’t be ruled out.
    Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
  • In addition, a risk of fire cannot be ruled out, the company said.
    Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024
  • And the agency also says that a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
    USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024
  • Ohtani has found new ways to impress since he was ruled out of pitching until 2025.
    Jamie Barton, CNN, 10 Sep. 2024
  • He has not formally been ruled out of Wednesday night’s game.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2024
  • Patchy drizzle and fog before dawn can’t be ruled out either.
    A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2023
  • The president also ruled out a pardon in the event of a conviction.
    Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 June 2024
  • Earlier, Ludmila had put the ball in the back of the net, but the effort was quickly ruled out for offside.
    George Ramsay, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024
  • But that doesn’t mean that Fraser ruled out options that happened to overlap with Rogue One.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
  • The Yankees hope to have a better understanding of the severity in the next 24 hours, but Boone didn’t rule out surgery.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2024
  • Mesa police said homicide or suicide have not been ruled out.
    Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024
  • Ganassi wouldn’t rule out a reunion with Johnson, though.
    Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Taylor Swift is attending the show and hasn’t been announced as a performer — but Kapoor won’t rule out a last-minute change on that front.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024
  • Powell appeared to rule out that the cut would be as large as 50 basis points, however.
    Jenni Reid, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Bosa, who has been absent since the Chargers-Rams joint practice on Aug. 4 and was seen last week with his left hand wrapped, also is ruled out.
    Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
  • The federal government took 28 years and three months to get its underride guard rule out the door.
    Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 25 Oct. 2022
  • Phillips has not ruled out making that challenge himself.
    Alexandra Marquez, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2023
  • This would rule out Coolidge's return but open the door to other characters coming back.
    Brendan Morrow, The Week, 7 Mar. 2023
  • The source noted nothing had been ruled out yet, however.
    Elias Lopez, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2024
  • He was also ruled out with an illness in Week 11 the following season against the Chicago Bears.
    Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2024
  • If anything, the majority of the world is sort of ruled out, which is a bit unfortunate.
    Jennifer Maas, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The reissues can more or less easily be ruled out—these are, after all, the 20th century’s best watches, merely repackaged for modern consumption.
    Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024

Some of 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.

Last Updated: