precluded; precluding
plural -s
: an act of precluding or state of being precluded : a shutting out : prevention by anticipation
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Preclude Uses Within and Outside Law
Preclude is often used in legal writing, where it usually refers to making something legally impossible. A new law may be passed by Congress to preclude any suits of a certain kind against a federal agency, for example. Some judges have found that the warnings on cigarette packs preclude any suits against the tobacco companies by lung-cancer sufferers. But there are plenty of nonlegal uses as well. Bad weather often precludes trips to the beach, and a lack of cash might preclude any beach vacation at all.
Examples of preclude in a Sentence
Verb
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
She suffered an injury that precluded the possibility of an athletic career.
Bad weather precluded any further attempts to reach the summit.
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
She suffered an injury that precluded the possibility of an athletic career.
Bad weather precluded any further attempts to reach the summit.
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 June 2026
Buse said professional organizations are not alone in taking politics into account, but that shouldn’t preclude discussions that include alternative views.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 9 June 2026
But for now, even if there were a robust independent platform, lenders are precluded from going fully AI.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Easy access to capital was thought to preclude the sort of boom-bust cycle that characterized the railroad era.
—Fortune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for preclude
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Verb
The astronauts must be unassigned to other missions, available for flights (for example, by not being on parental leave or on a military assignment), not in a management position precluding their participation, and in the presence of skills relevant to the mission, among other things.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 June 2026
Buse said professional organizations are not alone in taking politics into account, but that shouldn’t preclude discussions that include alternative views.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 9 June 2026
But for now, even if there were a robust independent platform, lenders are precluded from going fully AI.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Easy access to capital was thought to preclude the sort of boom-bust cycle that characterized the railroad era.
—Fortune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for preclude
Cite this Entry
“Preclude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preclude. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
preclude
transitive verb
pre·clude
pri-ˈklüd 
precluded; precluding
: to prevent or exclude by necessary consequence: as
a
: to prevent (a party) from litigating an action or claim especially by collateral estoppel or res judicata
they are precluded only because they failed to assert…the grounds for recovery they now assert—Roach v. Teamsters Local Union No. 688, 595 F.2d 446 (1979)
Roach v. Teamsters Local Union No. 688, 595 F.2d 446 (1979)
b
: to prevent (a claim or action) from being litigated especially by collateral estoppel or res judicata
the Civil Service Reform Act provides the exclusive address for adverse federal employment actions and thus precludes claims brought under the Tort Claims Act—National Law Journal
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