Foreclose

Meaning

To prevent, rule out, or make impossible in advance (broader than its narrow mortgage-default sense)

Origin / Etymology

Old French forclore, to shut out

Synonyms

Preclude Forestall

Antonyms

Enable Permit

Example Sentence

"Justice Narasimha's observation that demarcation needs no big investment, only a rope, is deliberate framing: it forecloses the standard municipal defence of fiscal incapacity."

🎯 UPSC Usage

Useful in GS2 judiciary answers to note precisely when a court's reasoning forecloses a particular defence in advance, e.g. 'the Court's framing forecloses the plea of financial incapacity before the respondent authorities can raise it.'

Relevant Subjects

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