RULE OUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rule out mean? 

• RULE OUT (verb)
  The verb RULE OUT has 3 senses:

1. make impossible, especially beforehand

2. include or exclude by determining judicially or in agreement with rules

3. dismiss from consideration or a contest

  Familiarity information: RULE OUT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RULE OUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make impossible, especially beforehand

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

close out; preclude; rule out

Hypernyms (to "rule out" is one way to...):

eliminate; obviate; rid of (do away with)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Include or exclude by determining judicially or in agreement with rules

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

rule in; rule out

Hypernyms (to "rule out" is one way to...):

decree; rule (decide with authority)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Dismiss from consideration or a contest

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

eliminate; reject; rule out; winnow out

Context example:

This possibility can be eliminated from our consideration

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

 Context examples 

Your doctor has to rule out other diseases before making a diagnosis of CFS.

(Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Doctors often run tests to rule out other possible causes of symptoms.

(Interstitial Cystitis, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

A medical checkup can rule out other illnesses that might cause your mood changes.

(Bipolar Disorder, NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)

Doctors use blood tests, chest X-rays, and biopsies to diagnose GPA and rule out other causes of the symptoms.

(Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Wegener's), NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

The Spitzer observations rule out an atmosphere with more than 10 times the pressure of Earth's. (Measured in units called bars, Earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1 bar.)

(A Rare Look at a Rocky Exoplanet's Surface, NASA)

The goal would be to study the regions over time to see if there are any changes and to rule out other causes for the changes, such as dry avalanches.

(NASA Weighs Use of Rover to Image Potential Mars Water Sites, NASA)

At this point, however, the team cannot rule out the possibility of a different mineral composition or perhaps a thinner crust.

(New Gravity Map Suggests Mars Has a Porous Crust, NASA)

This is an observational study, so can't establish cause, and the authors say they cannot rule out some misclassification of beverages or guarantee detection of every new cancer case.

(Possible link found between sugary drinks, cancer, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Water-rock chemistry might have generated the methane, but scientists cannot rule out the possibility of biological origins.

(NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars, NASA)

The researchers were also able to rule out that the features were actually on the surface of Titan in the form of frozen methane rain or icy lavas.

(Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time, NASA)