exclude

American  

[ik-sklood] / ɪkˈsklud /

verb (used with object)

excluded, excluding

1. to shut or keep out; prevent the entrance of.

   Synonyms:

   preclude, omit, except, prohibit, bar

   Antonyms:

   include

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

   Employees and their relatives were excluded from participation in the contest.

3. to expel and keep out; thrust out; eject.

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

   Synonyms:

   reject

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exclude British  

/ ɪkˈskluːd /

verb

1. to keep out; prevent from entering

2. to reject or not consider; leave out

3. to expel forcibly; eject

4. to debar from school, either temporarily or permanently, as a form of punishment

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Other Word Forms

• excludable adjective
• excluder noun
• exclusory adjective
• preexclude verb (used with object)
• unexcluded adjective
• unexcluding adjective

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.

Example Sentences

The company argued that artists determine ticket prices and that Ticketmaster didn’t have the power to raise prices on fans or exclude competing ticketing services.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Kentucky holds that prosecutors may not use peremptory strikes to exclude prospective jurors on the basis of race.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

"He may not, however, use his governmental power to direct federal agencies to exclude Plaintiffs from receiving federal grants or other funding in retaliation for saying things that he does not like."

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Critics further argue that the new definition could exclude many transgender people, particularly those who rely on self-identification, including some trans men and women as well as non-binary and gender-fluid people.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Olanna disliked the petulant pout on her mother’s face, the way her mother lowered her voice as if doing so would exclude Odenigbo.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• ban
• bar
• block
• boycott
• eliminate
• ignore
• omit
• ostracize
• preclude
• prevent
• prohibit
• refuse
• reject
• remove
• rule out
• suspend