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
Debris from hydraulic mining, using water cannons to blast away dirt in search of gold, built up in Northern California rivers, precluding larger steamboats from traveling on them, the California State Lands Commission report said.
—
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Duke University has sued QB Darian Mensah over his decision to enter the transfer portal, arguing that an NIL contract the school signed with Mensah—who transferred to Duke last year—ought to effectively preclude him from playing college football elsewhere.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Be warned that waiting until after a letter of intent (LOI) is signed often precludes tax mitigation strategies that require long-term structuring.
—John Hall, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is weighing whether to take a case that similarly seeks to preclude failure-to-warn claims under the argument that any state-level requirements are preempted by the federal label.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preclude
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Duke University has sued QB Darian Mensah over his decision to enter the transfer portal, arguing that an NIL contract the school signed with Mensah—who transferred to Duke last year—ought to effectively preclude him from playing college football elsewhere.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Be warned that waiting until after a letter of intent (LOI) is signed often precludes tax mitigation strategies that require long-term structuring.
—John Hall, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is weighing whether to take a case that similarly seeks to preclude failure-to-warn claims under the argument that any state-level requirements are preempted by the federal label.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preclude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preclude
Verb
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Understanding how these factors can cause colon cancer goes a long way in helping prevent it.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Some were concerned the federal government would take the land or prevent access.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … POLITICS ON THE BRINK — Senate races to avert third shutdown as DHS deal takes shape.—
,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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In Connecticut and across New England, where talk of electricity tends to turn on highest-in-the-nation rates, the potential cold weather energy emergency faced by customers elsewhere was averted, but that success comes with a warning.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preclude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preclude. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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