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.
The company is leaning toward a trial that compares patients receiving the therapy against a control group receiving standard treatments and a “sham” procedure to rule out any placebo effect.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
Doctors at a Los Angeles hospital were able to rule out gallstones, and on Tuesday, a representative for the “Goonies” star told The Times that they cracked the case, and Feldman is on the mend.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Williams has also said she is considering playing doubles at Wimbledon this summer, and she has yet to rule out a return to singles in the future.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
But, with Wimbledon looming later in June, she did not completely rule out the possibility of featuring at a tournament she has won seven times.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
But since there was no reason to rule out the participation of specific enzymes, I saw no need to be unduly disturbed.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
