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.
“It’s getting a little late, but the ocean is so warm that we can’t rule out more tropical impacts into late October, maybe even early November,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
That would rule out for now the synthetic stock tokens offered by brokers and exchanges outside the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
They were also unable to rule out mild cognitive impairment at the time of the first MRI scan, changes in diet over time, or the influence of genetic risk factors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
"While voluntary measures remain our preferred approach, we cannot rule out compulsory redundancies if the required savings are not achieved," they said.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
He also could not seem to rule out the possibility for himself Over the course of many letters back and forth across the ocean, the two friends discussed God and design.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
