exclude

verb

ex·​clude ik-ˈsklüd 

excluded; excluding

transitive verb

1

a

: to prevent or restrict the entrance of

b

: to bar from participation, consideration, or inclusion

2

: to expel or bar especially from a place or position previously occupied

excluder noun

Synonyms

• eliminate
• ban
• prohibit
• prevent
• bar

Examples of exclude in a Sentence

You can share files with some people on the network while excluding others.

The prices on the menu exclude tax.

Recent Examples on the Web

PCMark runs only on the x86 Windows laptops, excluding the MacBook and Samsung. —Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025

Double and triple cheeseburgers are excluded from the offer, the company said. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025

Historically, the informal, inside information that helped workers advance was often passed along quietly, typically in ways that excluded workers of color, white women, and others in the minority. —Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

The text previously excluded certain national emergencies invoked using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). —Isabella Murray, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin excludere, from ex- + claudere to close — more at close entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for exclude

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• elude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude

Kids Definition

exclude

verb

ex·​clude iks-ˈklüd 

excluded; excluding

: to shut or keep out

excludable

-ˈklüd-ə-bəl

adjective

exclusion

-ˈklü-zhən

noun

Legal Definition

exclude

transitive verb

ex·​clude ik-ˈsklüd 

excluded; excluding

1

: to prevent or restrict the entry or admission of

exclude hearsay evidence

2

: to remove from participation, consideration, or inclusion (as in insurance coverage)