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Glite Dictionary
to rule out

to rule out

246 3.5
Decide that an idea, cause or option should not be considered
  • phrasal verb
  • /ruːl aʊt/
translation icon : descartar
  • A motive is still under investigation but the Chief of Police did not rule out there being a connection to McCoy's criminal past.
  • rule out the possibility
  • rule out alternative explanations
  • rule out other causes

And then finally, he's going to rule out one other kind.

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Examples

  • Let's rule out some of the other options, shall we?

    Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

  • Does her government rule out a customs union with the European Union?

  • But it really rules out great power war almost all the time.

  • But do not rule out the man who you have a real connection with.

    Stephan Speaks

  • There are a number I would like to rule out.

    Marvin's Room (1996)

  • That rules out the possibility of you being a field agent.

    The Rock (1996)

  • I think you can rule out accidental death.

    The Crow (1994)

  • We're not ruling anything out at this point, but I just thought you should know.

    Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

  • The doctor suggested that she go get an MRI just to rule out anything scary.

  • The committee decided to rule out the proposal due to its high costs.

Synonyms

to reject
vsto rule out
839 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

decides it is unsuitable or not to be accepted
to eliminate
vsto rule out
354 3.4

Remove someone or something from a competition so they are no longer in it

decides it cannot be accepted or considered
to throw out
vsto rule out
163 4.2

To stop considering a case, request, or proposal in court

decides not to accept or continue considering it
to preclude
vsto rule out
55 7.2

To stop something from happening or make it impossible

decides it is not possible rather than actively preventing it
to disallow
vsto rule out
  • Formal
16 3.9

To refuse to allow something, usually by an official rule

decides it is not permitted or cannot be accepted
to nix
vsto rule out
  • Informal
15 8.0

To say no to an idea or plan

decides it should not be considered or used
to close out
vsto rule out
1 6.5

Prevent a chance or option from being used

decides it is not possible rather than preventing it by action
to winnow out
vsto rule out
1 7.1

Remove people or things from a group because they are not suitable

decides something is not suitable and excludes it from choice
to factor out
vsto rule out
  • Informal
6.0

Ignore something when you make a decision or calculation

decides it is not a relevant or acceptable option

Antonyms

to consider
∞ 1.1

To think carefully before making a decision

How Possible

to confirm
∞ 1.8
to accept
∞ 1.3
to consider
∞ 1.1
to doubt
∞ 1.3
to discount
75 4.2
to dismiss
332 3.0
to rule out
246 3.5

Surface Forms

rule out infinitive
ruled out past
ruled out past participle
ruling out present participle
rules out third person singular

Morphology

rule + out

The meaning is directly composed from 'rule' (to decide or judge) plus 'out' (to exclude/not include), so together they transparently mean to decide that something is not possible or should be excluded. This verb+particle pattern is a common, predictable English construction and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The phrasal verb rule out comes from the simple image of writing a list and drawing a line through an item to remove it, so you rule an idea out of the list. So, it means 'to decide something is not possible'.