What does precluding mean?
Precluding means preventing something from happening, either by eliminating an opportunity or by making an outcome impossible. It is the present participle of “preclude” and is commonly followed by “from” plus a gerund: “The delay precluded them from attending.” The word has a formal, authoritative tone and is especially common in legal, academic, and institutional writing, although it is also appropriate in ordinary contexts when a precise, polished phrasing is wanted. Unlike the more general “preventing,” precluding often suggests that something has been ruled out as possible. In legal and technical prose, it can mean that evidence or a rule makes a particular result impossible. “Preclude” is related etymologically to “exclude” and “include,” all of which trace to Latin roots associated with closing or shutting out.
verbTo make something impossible or to prevent someone from doing something. It is the present participle of the verb preclude.
- To prevent or make impossible.
- To exclude someone from an activity, opportunity, or possibility.
"The heavy rain precluded us from going for a walk."
"The evidence was insufficient to preclude a conviction."
"His injury precluded him from competing in the race."
To preclude something is to shut the door on it before it can even begin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does precluding come from?
The word comes from Latin praeccludere, formed from prae- (“before”) and claudere (“to close”), meaning “to close off beforehand.” English borrowed the verb in the 17th century in the sense of preventing or excluding. Its relatives “exclude” and “include” come from related Latin verbs involving shutting out and shutting in, while “seclude” developed from the same root family with the sense of separating or keeping apart.
Related word forms
How precluding is actually used
Generally formal and somewhat literary. It is often used with an object followed by a participial phrase, as in “precluded him from participating.”
Easily confused with precluding
Precluding prevents something from happening or being possible, whereas excluding leaves something or someone out of a group or activity.