RULED OUT Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

ruled out 1 of 2

adjective

as in shut out

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ruled out

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rule out

as in excluded

to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of another loss would rule them out of the tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ruled out

Verb

Gallstones have since been ruled out as the cause. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026 Officers have not ruled out road rage. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 June 2026 Damaging winds are the main risk, but a brief tornado or two can’t be ruled out. — Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 23 June 2026 Long story short, the goal was ruled out for offside and the Seleção progressed through to the Round of 16. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 Hope returned after injury and Joshua de Silva made way and Kemar Roach was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 The Constitution’s language ruled out neither of those understandings. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026 Henry Feuss, a preservation planner for the city, said the cutoff for the historic district was the year 2000, which ruled out Badlands. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026 The government had initially ruled out extending pub opening hours in the aftermath of England’s last-32 win over DR Congo on Wednesday. — Ali Rampling, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruled out

Adjective

Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.

— Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
The truck crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the stopped Kia, striking the three pedestrians, CHP said.

— Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Feb. 2026

Definition of stopped

Verb

Employers can contribute up to $2,500 per year under an employer contribution program, and that amount counts toward the $5,000 cap but is generally excluded from the employee’s taxable income when structured through that employer program.

— Medora Lee, USA Today, 3 July 2026
As previously discussed, thousands of children of Americans abroad are excluded from the initial $1,000 seed deposit because of narrow citizenship and residency definitions.

— Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of excluded

Verb

When you're banned from a show — and if you guys know me, I'm banned from most of them.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Florida cities ramped up their enforcement after Tallahassee banned public camping statewide in 2024, telling local governments to get people off their streets or risk lawsuits.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of banned

Verb

Israel has barred foreign journalists from independently reporting in Gaza since the start of the war.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Rodriguez, who has expressed some interest in the proposal, said city leaders had not determined how county election officials would issue separate ballots for voters who would be barred from state and national contests.

— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of barred

Verb

Win yesterday, come back home, important homestand before the All-Star break, and we’re shut out.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026
France survived Paraguay's physical gameplan to beat La Albirroja, the red and white, 1-0 to advance to play Morocco, which shut out Canada on Saturday 3-0, in a quarterfinal on July 9 in Foxboro, Mass.

— Sean Gregory, Time, 5 July 2026

Definition of shut out

Verb

Items including coolers, folding chairs, frisbees, balls, metal drink containers and aerosol cans — including spray sunscreen — are prohibited.

— Kyla Guilfoil, NBC news, 5 July 2026
Journalists, however, were prohibited from revealing plot points or celebrity cameos.

— Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 4 July 2026

Definition of prohibited

Verb

Only a strong relay throw home by second baseman Miguel Rojas and a successful challenge prevented Hunter Goodman from scoring a go-ahead run.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
But Russian athletes in some sports, most notably track and field, will still likely be prevented from competing because of international sports federations’ policies regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

— Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 7 July 2026

Definition of prevented

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ruled (on)

ruled out

rule (on)

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“Ruled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruled%20out. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ruled out

adjective

verb

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