rule out
The phrase "rule out" is commonly used to dismiss or eliminate possibilities in various contexts, such as general decision-making and medical diagnosis.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
B2General
(idiomatic, common)To decide that something is not possible or suitable.
Example
- The police ruled out robbery as a motive for the crime.
- We can't rule out the possibility of rain tomorrow.
C1Medicine
(technical, medical)To eliminate a diagnosis or possibility based on evidence or test results.
Example
- The doctor ordered additional tests to rule out a heart condition.
- A negative test result can rule out certain infections.
B2Decision-Making
(formal, business)To dismiss an option from a list of possibilities.
Example
- The committee ruled out the proposal due to budget constraints.
- After careful consideration, we ruled out expanding the project this year.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "rule out":
screen outfilter outcross outroot outcancel outcount outleave outrim outsub outnut outforce outthrow out