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Synonyms

exclude

American  
[ik-sklood] / ɪkˈsklud /

verb (used with object)

excludes, present (3rd person singular) excluded, past participle, past excluding present participle
  1. to shut or keep out; prevent the entrance of.

    Synonyms:
    preclude, omit, except, prohibit, bar
    Antonyms:
    include
  2. to shut out from consideration, privilege, etc..

    Employees and their relatives were excluded from participation in the contest.

  3. 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

  1. to keep out; prevent from entering

  2. to reject or not consider; leave out

  3. to expel forcibly; eject

  4. 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

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Conjugated Forms

Present

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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:

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

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.

See Examples For:

“Core PCE would still be well above 2% even if we exclude special factors that are likely temporarily boosting inflation,” Bank of America economist Aditya Bhave wrote.

From MarketWatch Jul. 22, 2026

Each would exclude companies determined by fund managers to be “founded, controlled or led by” Musk, or which he is “primarily associated” with as a major shareholder or founder.

From MarketWatch Jul. 9, 2026

The defence team, led by attorney Kathy Nester, has sought to exclude much of the evidence and have the death penalty taken off the table.

From BBC Jul. 7, 2026

MSG's owners have courted controversy by aggressively using facial recognition technology to detect and exclude not only lawyers who have sued the company -- but all of their colleagues too.

From Barron's Jul. 1, 2026

How could it exclude every other smell, in open country on a south wind?

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Growth in regular earnings - which excludes bonuses - remained unchanged, rising at an annual pace of 3.4% in the March to May period.

From BBC Jul. 21, 2026

Its “Robinhood Investor Index” doesn’t faithfully break down their results, and it excludes options trading.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 17, 2026

It also excludes walk-ins and any more reservations made throughout the day.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2026

Despite the beats, the company said it still expects 2026 organic revenue, which excludes acquisitions, to increase between 2% and 4% and core EPS to rise between 4% and 6%.

From MarketWatch Jul. 9, 2026

The clay hypothesis hardly excludes life on Mars, but it certainly carries us far enough to say that there is no compelling evidence for microbiology on Mars.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

No issue facing Southeast Asia's foreign ministers has been more fraught than how to reintegrate Myanmar, a member state formally excluded from such summits since its military junta seized power in 2021.

From Barron's Jul. 21, 2026

However, the authors note that this choice could also have excluded some genuinely weak extraterrestrial signals.

From Science Daily Jul. 14, 2026

Terrified of the world, but determined to better understand what she’s been excluded from for so long, she’s determined to imagine her way into reality.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2026

It is understandable that you have questions about your parents’ guardianship, probate and inheritance, particularly given how excluded you felt.

From MarketWatch Jul. 7, 2026

There really wasn’t any reason for Chestnutt to be excluded from Brer’s army of bunny spies—from what I’d seen, she was more than capable.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

PNC Bank data also show that lower-income household spending, excluding gasoline, has accelerated this year, narrowing the gap with higher-income spending growth to the slimmest margin since 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

For this study they defined momentum as the price movement of the stock over the preceding 12 months, excluding the most recent month.

From MarketWatch Jul. 22, 2026

Meanwhile, annual wage growth excluding bonuses held steady in the three months through May at 3.4% for a third consecutive month, pointing to a stabilization of cost pressures for businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 21, 2026

Also of interest to Wall Street are automotive gross margins excluding credits, a measure of the health of Tesla’s core vehicle business.

From MarketWatch Jul. 21, 2026

Many participles have turned into prepositions, such as according, allowing, barring, concerning, considering, excepting, excluding, failing, following, given, granted, including, owing, regarding, and respecting, and they don’t need subjects at all.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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