Synonyms

exclude

American

[ik-sklood] / ɪkˈsklud /

verb (used with object)

to shut or keep out; prevent the entrance of.

Synonyms:

preclude, omit, except, prohibit, bar

Antonyms:

include
to shut out from consideration, privilege, etc..

Employees and their relatives were excluded from participation in the contest.
to expel and keep out; thrust out; eject.

He was excluded from the club for infractions of the rules.

Synonyms:

reject

exclude British

/ ɪkˈskluːd /

verb

to keep out; prevent from entering
to reject or not consider; leave out
to expel forcibly; eject
to debar from school, either temporarily or permanently, as a form of punishment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of exclude

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin exclūdere “to shut out, cut off,” from ex- ex- ¹ + -clūdere, combining form of claudere “to shut, close”

Compare meaning

How does exclude compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

preclude vs. exclude

Explanation

Exclude means to leave out — like when the cool kids won't let you in on their game of four-square or the pizza guy leaves your neighborhood out from his delivery zone. Exclude comes to us from the Latin word excludere, which means "to shut." So essentially, when you exclude someone you slam the door in their face one way or another: You won't let them into the party, you leave them off the invite list, or refuse to include them in the conversation once they arrive. Needless to say, excluding others is not very nice.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing exclude

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Marissa Roy was on her way to a runoff that would exclude the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, who was a distant third in the early returns.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

As mentioned above, the two do not exclude one another.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

That would exclude most of the demand destruction as defined by the IEA and many other analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Federal law allows for single filers to exclude $250,000 in capital‑gains tax on the profit from the sale of a home; for joint filers, the exclusion is $500,000.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Executive Order 9066 had been signed by President Roosevelt, giving the War Department authority to define military areas in the western states and to exclude from them anyone who might threaten the war effort.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023