rule out
Britishverb
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to dismiss from consideration
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to make impossible; preclude or prevent
the rain ruled out outdoor games
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Eliminate from consideration, exclude, as in The option of starting over again has been ruled out . [Second half of 1800s]
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Prevent, make impossible, as in The snowstorm ruled out our weekly rehearsal . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Police said on Monday there was currently nothing to link the two incidents, but they did not rule out a connection.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Dr. Ghasemi says the findings do not rule out concerns that governments and companies may focus on consumer behavior to avoid responsibility for larger structural reforms.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
The first sets the threshold for the participation of Arab parties in a new government, a possibility that Mr. Eisenkot has repeatedly refused to rule out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
A: When you do technology research, you can never rule out a change of course.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
On July 17, the president's four doctors informed Corkhill that, though they anticipated full recovery, they couldn't absolutely rule out death.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
