preclude

[ pri-klood ]

/ prɪˈklud /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preclude ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pre·clud·ed, pre·clud·ing.

to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible: The insufficiency of the evidence precludes a conviction.

to exclude or debar from something: His physical disability precludes an athletic career for him.

Nearby words

Origin of preclude

1610–20; < Latin praeclūdere to shut off, close, equivalent to prae- pre- + -clūdere, combining form of claudere to shut, close

SYNONYMS FOR preclude

1. forestall; eliminate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preclude ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pre·clud·a·ble, adjectivepre·clu·sion

[pri-kloo-zhuhn] /prɪˈklu ʒən/, nounpre·clu·sive

[pri-kloo-siv] /prɪˈklu sɪv/, adjectivepre·clu·sive·ly, adverb

un·pre·clud·a·ble, adjectiveun·pre·clud·ed, adjectiveun·pre·clu·sive, adjectiveun·pre·clu·sive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for preclude

Crow explained that his site put preventative measures in place to preclude trolls from reigning.
ReaganBook Is the Latest Conservative #Fail|Gideon Resnick|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That did not preclude Ebony Jones from speaking about her mother.
Killed by Donald Sterling’s Racism|Michael Daly|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, we should be wondering why it should preclude her from doing anything else she so chooses.
Duke's Freshman Porn Starlet Isn't Ashamed—and She Shouldn't Be|Emily Shire|February 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such a restraining order, however, will often preclude the defendant from retaining his counsel of choice.
SCOTUS-Palooza: Preview of the Big Cases in the New Term|Ilya Shapiro|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Of course, this is not to preclude that minorities will remain in either state where they will receive full civil rights.
The Truth About Yisrael Beytenu|Hamad Amar|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Some invisible power seemed to be enlisted in our defence and to preclude the necessity of our arms.
Edgar Huntley|Charles Brockden Brown
This fact does not, however, preclude another, that the environment has helped in the process.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
The conditions in which his work is done, however, preclude the possibility of careless reading.
The Building of a Book|Various
The fire was issuing from a long straw-stack, which was so far gone as to preclude a possibility of saving it.
Far from the Madding Crowd|Thomas Hardy
In this country, the most abject poverty need not preclude the craving mind from its natural aliment, books.
Fashion and Famine|Ann S. Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for preclude

preclude

/ (prɪˈkluːd) /

verb (tr)

to exclude or debar

to make impossible, esp beforehand

Derived Formsprecludable, adjectivepreclusion (prɪˈkluːʒən), nounpreclusive (prɪˈkluːsɪv), adjectivepreclusively, adverb

Word Origin for preclude

C17: from Latin praeclūdere to shut up, from prae in front, before + claudere to close

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

Word Origin and History for preclude

preclude

1610s, from Latin praecludere "to close, shut off; hinder, impede," from prae- "before, ahead" (see pre-) + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). Related: Precluded; precluding.

preclude

verb (used with object), pre·clud·ed, pre·clud·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of preclude

Examples from the Web for preclude

preclude

verb (tr)

Word Origin for preclude

preclude