Dictionary.com

preclude

[ pri-klood ]
/ prɪˈklud /
See synonyms for: preclude / precluded / precluding 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.

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Origin of preclude

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

OTHER WORDS FROM preclude

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to preclude

hinder, prevent, rule out, avert, prohibit, forestall, cease, deter, impede, exclude, obviate, quit, debar, discontinue, stop, restrain, interrupt, ward, check, forfend

Example sentences from the Web for preclude

British Dictionary definitions for preclude

preclude
/ (prɪˈkluːd) /

verb (tr)

to exclude or debar
to make impossible, esp beforehand

Derived forms of preclude

precludable, 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