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
Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The judge said further delay could preclude Mangione from using the defense at his state trial, which is slated to begin in September.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
At the same time, the treaty doesn’t preclude future commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, but instead allows time to ensure any fishing there can be sustainable.
—David Balton, The Conversation, 15 June 2026
Steve Forbes pushes back on the belief that economic data precludes any hope of an interest rate cut this year, and urges Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to make clear that there may well be a rate cut in 2026.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for preclude
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Verb
Doing so would have precluded the need for Pulte to take the reins of the intelligence community, clearing the way for Democrats to support reauthorizing Section 702.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 18 June 2026
The judge said further delay could preclude Mangione from using the defense at his state trial, which is slated to begin in September.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
At the same time, the treaty doesn’t preclude future commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, but instead allows time to ensure any fishing there can be sustainable.
—David Balton, The Conversation, 15 June 2026
Steve Forbes pushes back on the belief that economic data precludes any hope of an interest rate cut this year, and urges Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to make clear that there may well be a rate cut in 2026.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 12 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 20 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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