First Known Use: 1629
Dictionary
preclude
verb pre·clude \pri-ˈklüd\
: to make (something) impossible : to prevent (something) from happening
: to prevent (someone) from doing something
pre·clud·edpre·clud·ing
Full Definition of PRECLUDE
transitive verb
1
archaic : close
2
: to make impossible by necessary consequence : rule out in advance
— pre·clu·sion \-ˈklü-zhən\ noun
— pre·clu·sive \-ˈklü-siv, -ziv\ adjective
— pre·clu·sive·ly adverb
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Examples of PRECLUDE
- I fear these things, but vaguely, for my brain buzzes in the merciful wash of endorphins that preclude any thought from occupying it too long. —Louise Erdrich, Harper's, May 1993
- … the institution [of slavery] in the United States was almost uniquely despotic, a closed system so powerful and totalitarian that organized insurrection was almost entirely precluded … —William Styron, American Heritage, October 1992
- But conceptual blinders can preclude observation, while most accurate generalities guarantee no proper resolution of specific anatomies, but can certainly guide perceptions along fruitful paths. —Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989
- … the same profusion of water that precluded overland travel in the summer months could, during the sledgehammer freeze of winter, be utilized as a natural highway—albeit a highway of ice. —Jon Krakauer, Smithsonian, November 1987
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Origin of PRECLUDE
Latin praecludere, from prae- + claudere to close — more at close
Other Logic Terms
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