rule out vs ward off

rule out

verb
  • To disallow. 

  • To reject an option from a list of possibilities. 

  • To make something impossible. 

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

  • To make unavailable. 

ward off

verb
  • To avert or prevent. 

  • To parry, or turn aside. 

How often have the words rule out and ward off occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )