seclude
Americanverb (used with object)
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to place in or withdraw into solitude; remove from social contact and activity, etc.
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to isolate; shut off; keep apart.
They secluded the garden from the rest of the property.
verb
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to remove from contact with others
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to shut off or screen from view
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seclude
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin sēclūdere, equivalent to sē- se- + -clūdere, combining form of claudere to close
Explanation
When you seclude someone, you separate them from other people. A Buddhist monk might seclude himself in a remote place to meditate alone for several weeks. Most people use the verb seclude to talk about shutting themselves away from society or keeping themselves separate from others. An eccentric family might seclude itself from the neighbors, for example. The root is Latin, secludere, which means "shut off or confine," from se, "apart" and cludere, "to shut." Originally, seclude was used to mean "to enclose or confine," and by the 1620s it also meant "to keep from public view."
Vocabulary lists containing seclude
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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se (apart)
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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.
See Examples For:
Gore and Bush were able to seclude themselves at home, refraining from public comment for days on end.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2020
“I realised that if I was able to seclude myself and rest, the gentle high would progress into a dreamlike state where I would experience visions,” she writes in Period Power.
From The Guardian ● May 29, 2019
At one point, he suggests that to help make up her mind she go away from London, where they live, and seclude herself in a cottage in Wales.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 22, 2018
She suggested he seclude himself at Yaddo, the artists’ colony in upstate New York.
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2017
Hermits they are not, for they live always in communities by villages, and they do not seclude themselves from human intercourse.
From The Soul of a People by H. (Harold) Fielding
Since 1912, Puyi had lived a secluded life inside the Forbidden City, head of the “Little Court” that continued to defer to him as the Son of Heaven.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
For this bookstore is also concealing a speakeasy of sorts, a secluded cafe and bar with multiple themed spaces and a two-story tree with glowing books growing out of its branches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Hike from ridge to reef Mason’s Travel tour company leads a guided hike through Mahé’s lush Morne Seychellois National Park to secluded Anse Major beach, followed by snorkeling at Cap Ternay Marine Park.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Outside, the ranch is surrounded by lush landscaping, while a tranquil reflection pond adds to its secluded, countryside atmosphere—despite the estate’s location in the heart of Los Angeles.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The chimney was secluded, but it could also be my downfall.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
“So I think it’s going to be very harmful. You’re just shutting down and secluding a group of people that is already so used to being shamed and put in a corner.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
My other concern is people are secluding their lives with people who either think like them or more extreme forms of it.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023
“Yep, I’m watching Mr. Eldridge,” one scout says on the phone before secluding himself from earshot.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2023
Its next resident will find a private dock, tall trees secluding the pool and spa, and “an effortless, single level indoor/outdoor living experience.”
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2022
Parda = the Eastern custom of secluding women from the public gaze.
From Among the Wild Tribes of the Afghan Frontier A Record of Sixteen Years' Close Intercourse with the Natives of the Indian Marches by T. L. (Theodore Leighton) Pennell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
