preclude
verb
Simple meaning
To make something impossible to happen.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
preekloodSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
pɹiːˈkluːd
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Remove the possibility of; rule out; prevent or exclude; to make impossible.
“It has been raining for days, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that the skies will clear by this afternoon!”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: Remove the possibility of; rule out; prevent or exclude; to make impossible.
Used this way, preclude is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“It has been raining for days, but that doesn't preclude the possibility that the skies will clear by this afternoon!”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.