as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
issued a strict schedule for doing household chores so as to preclude any arguments
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Recent Examples of preclude
The financial incentive for airports and airlines to serve alcohol precludes temperance as a solution.
—
Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
But Benthaus worried that her condition — a spinal cord injury from a 2018 mountain bike accident — might preclude her from achieving the same milestones.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Judges have pushed back from the bench about why her disqualification would not preclude her participation in cases.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
While not a guarantee, being named to an All-Decade Team usually precludes enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preclude
Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
But Benthaus worried that her condition — a spinal cord injury from a 2018 mountain bike accident — might preclude her from achieving the same milestones.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Judges have pushed back from the bench about why her disqualification would not preclude her participation in cases.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
While not a guarantee, being named to an All-Decade Team usually precludes enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
—Patrick Damp, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preclude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preclude
Verb
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Since the suitcase won’t be as easy to zip open, thieves will have a harder time seeing whether or not your belongings are valuable; this alone could prevent your bag from becoming a target.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
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Tips to Prevent Pipes from Freezing Insulation is key in preventing frozen pipes, which means plumbing in areas like attics, exterior walls, outdoor pipes, and crawl spaces, will likely require extra insulation.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Washington — The House easily approved bipartisan legislation Thursday to fund several federal agencies and programs through September as lawmakers work to avert the threat of another government shutdown later this month.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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As Congress works to avert an end-of-January government shutdown, its latest spending package would largely keep the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget intact, reports Liza Gross for Inside Climate News.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preclude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preclude. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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