Synonyms

exclude

American

[ik-sklood] / ɪkˈsklud /

verb (used with object)

to shut or keep out; prevent the entrance of.

Synonyms:

preclude, omit, except, prohibit, bar

Antonyms:

include
to shut out from consideration, privilege, etc..

Employees and their relatives were excluded from participation in the contest.
to expel and keep out; thrust out; eject.

He was excluded from the club for infractions of the rules.

Synonyms:

reject

exclude British

/ ɪkˈskluːd /

verb

to keep out; prevent from entering
to reject or not consider; leave out
to expel forcibly; eject
to debar from school, either temporarily or permanently, as a form of punishment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of exclude

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin exclūdere “to shut out, cut off,” from ex- ex- ¹ + -clūdere, combining form of claudere “to shut, close”

Compare meaning

How does exclude compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

preclude vs. exclude

Explanation

Exclude means to leave out — like when the cool kids won't let you in on their game of four-square or the pizza guy leaves your neighborhood out from his delivery zone. Exclude comes to us from the Latin word excludere, which means "to shut." So essentially, when you exclude someone you slam the door in their face one way or another: You won't let them into the party, you leave them off the invite list, or refuse to include them in the conversation once they arrive. Needless to say, excluding others is not very nice.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing exclude

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The investment returns exclude any sales charges, none of which apply to the funds on the chart above.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

“When you exclude ‘STARs’—those skilled through alternative routes—and only consider candidates with a four-year college degree, you’re screening out half of the potential labor force,” says Julia Nitschke, director of analytics at Opportunity@Work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Marissa Roy was on her way to a runoff that would exclude the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, who was a distant third in the early returns.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The founder of the Geek Meet Club wanted to bring like-minded people together and exclude the regiments of fakes she says have undermined online dating.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

I try to exclude each face in each row.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023