rule out

Definition

To cross an item out by drawing a straight line through it, as with a ruler.

Example Sentences

• "As Jane Doe had an alibi, the police were able to rule her out as a suspect."
• "In general, steel springs were stipulated for primary suspension, although rubber was accepted for auxiliary springing; hydraulic dampers were specified and the use of laminated springs ruled out."
• "The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has categorically ruled out any new negotiations saying the future of the Falklands can only be decided by the islanders themselves in accordance with the UN principle of self-determination."