as in shut out
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as in excluded
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
another loss would rule them out of the tournament
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Recent Examples of ruled out
Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
While Lombard debuting in 2026 shouldn’t be ruled out, the Yankees will be patient with the young infielder.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Rockets star Kevin Durant, who was ruled out of Game 4 with a left ankle sprain, reacted to the Ayton’s ejection with a move of his own.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Less than an hour before tip-off, Reaves was ruled out again.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026
Police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play as some members of the camp remain unaccounted for, according to the outlet.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
The team won’t wear its City Edition jerseys at home during the remainder of the first round, although road games haven’t been ruled out yet depending on its opponent’s uniform choices.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Just before the game, the Rockets ruled out Kevin Durant with a knee injury.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Small hail is possible, and an isolated weak/brief tornado can't be ruled out.
—Mary Ours, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower-body injury and the Lakers lost 115-106, according to prosecutors.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
While Lombard debuting in 2026 shouldn’t be ruled out, the Yankees will be patient with the young infielder.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Rockets star Kevin Durant, who was ruled out of Game 4 with a left ankle sprain, reacted to the Ayton’s ejection with a move of his own.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Less than an hour before tip-off, Reaves was ruled out again.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026
Police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play as some members of the camp remain unaccounted for, according to the outlet.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
The team won’t wear its City Edition jerseys at home during the remainder of the first round, although road games haven’t been ruled out yet depending on its opponent’s uniform choices.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Just before the game, the Rockets ruled out Kevin Durant with a knee injury.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Small hail is possible, and an isolated weak/brief tornado can't be ruled out.
—Mary Ours, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruled out
Verb
-
After the Michigan Innocence Clinic asked the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to review the case, it was discovered that DNA evidence excluded Calicut from the scene and he was freed last month after nearly 30 years behind bars.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
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To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Vaping, meanwhile, is banned outright, and devices will be confiscated at the airport and may even attract fines.—
Shradha Shahani,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Vermont Principals’ Association banned the school, not just from basketball, but from all athletics and a range of academic competitions.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sean Jeans-Gail, vice president of government affairs and policy at the Rail Passengers Association, said Amtrak and many other ground transportation companies barred weapons on trains and buses after 9/11, but none put security measures in place to detect or screen every passenger for firearms.—
Claudia Lauer,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The Navy declined to invite USA TODAY to a news briefing with the chief of naval operations and barred its reporter from entering.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Republican Steve Hilton leads recent polls while Democrats remain split across multiple candidates, creating fears the party could be shut out of the general election.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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They've been shut out in six games already, or 20% of the time.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald and Georgia’s Christen Miller went early in the second round, that all but eliminated the option of the Ravens selecting an interior defensive lineman.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Israeli leaders say troops will remain in the zone, which extends about six miles into Lebanese territory, indefinitely, and that residents will not be allowed to return until the threat posed by Hezbollah to Israeli residents is eliminated.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Logging is prohibited, planes must obey minimum altitude limits when flying over it, and motorized boats are limited to certain areas.—
Todd Richmond,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Anything that could be used as a weapon or cause harm is prohibited.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has repeatedly said, including in a briefing immediately following the shooting, that the 20,000-square-foot addition would have prevented a would-be shooter from getting close to him.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The man reportedly told others to move out of the way just before the tree fell, which the people said likely prevented more of them from being hit.—
Kathryn Prociv,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruled%20out. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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