1
Rule out an outcome
Make a result impossible before it can occur.
Example
Persistent cloud cover precluded observation of the eclipse.
preclude
/prɪˈkluːd/ · prih-KLOODverb
To prevent something from happening or make it impossible.
Use preclude when a condition, rule, or circumstance rules out an action, outcome, or interpretation in advance.
What preclude Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Prevent participation
Stop someone from taking an action or occupying a role.
Example
The conflict of interest precluded her from joining the review panel.
3
Exclude an interpretation
Make a conclusion incompatible with the available facts.
Example
The evidence does not preclude an earlier date for the settlement.
Use preclude Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Persistent cloud cover precluded observation of the eclipse.
Limited evidence precludes a definitive conclusion.
The agreement does not preclude future collaboration.
Precision Matters
Preclude overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
preclude
vs.Often rules out a possibility completely and in advance.
prevent
Broadly stops something from happening.
preclude
vs.Makes an outcome impossible.
impede
Hinders or slows progress without necessarily stopping it.
preclude
vs.Rules out an event, action, or possibility.
exclude
Keeps something outside a group or consideration.
preclude
vs.Makes an action or result impossible.
permit
Allows it—the contrast.
Test preclude in Context
The missing dates make a definitive conclusion impossible.
1
Because the surviving records contain no dates, they do not disprove the historian's theory, but they ___ any definitive claim about when the migration began.