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.
He initially refused to rule out military force.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Euronext Chief Executive Stephane Boujnah told the Financial Times in an interview that a tie-up between the two groups’ stock exchange business would make sense, and didn’t rule out a full-scale merger of the groups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Vomiting occurred only in the deficient group, although the difference was small and was not statistically significant, meaning researchers could not confidently rule out chance as the explanation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Carney was asked Thursday about the prospect of Canada joining the EU and delivered what he termed a "non-answer," declining to rule out the idea or endorse it.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Dalgard was extremely dismayed and couldn’t rule out the possibility that the man was breaking with Ebola.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
