prevent

verb

pre·​vent pri-ˈvent 

prevented; preventing; prevents

transitive verb

1

: to keep from happening or existing

steps to prevent war

2

: to hold or keep back : hinder, stop

—often used with from

3

: to deprive of power or hope of acting or succeeding

4

archaic

a

: to be in readiness for (something, such as an occasion)

b

: to meet or satisfy in advance

c

: to act ahead of

d

: to go or arrive before

intransitive verb

: to interpose an obstacle

preventability

pri-ˌven-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

preventable adjective

or less commonly preventible

pri-ˈven-tə-bəl 

preventer noun

Synonyms

• avert
• forestall
• head off
• help
• obviate
• preclude
• stave off

Choose the Right Synonym for prevent

prevent, anticipate, forestall mean to deal with beforehand.

prevent implies taking advance measures against something possible or probable.

measures taken to prevent leaks

anticipate may imply merely getting ahead of another by being a precursor or forerunner or it may imply checking another's intention by acting first.

anticipated the question by making a statement

forestall implies a getting ahead so as to stop or interrupt something in its course.

hoped to forestall the sale

Examples of prevent in a Sentence

Seatbelts in cars often prevent serious injuries.

Can exercise and a healthy diet prevent heart disease?

The accident could have been prevented.

He grabbed my arm to prevent me from falling.

Bad weather prevented us from leaving.

How are you going to prevent him from finding out about the party?

Recent Examples on the Web

Only a few isolated clouds are expected for these areas, which should not prevent optimal eclipse viewing. —Elisa Raffa, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024

The rockers' rubber padding underneath also prevents them from scratching your deck. —Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Apr. 2024

Since 2020, federal pandemic relief money helped prevent thousands of evictions in Michigan. —Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024

The assault on the Capitol temporarily prevented the certification of President Joe Biden’s win. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024

Similar to petroleum jelly, lanolin works as an occlusive by forming a thick barrier on skin to seal moisture in and prevent moisture loss. —Macaela MacKenzie, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024

In late March, the House unanimously passed a bill that would prevent Americans’ data from being sold to foreign adversaries. —Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024

Seeking to prevent Iranian retaliation on facilities connected to the U.S., Biden administration officials have stressed that the U.S. had no advance notice of the strike. —David Martin, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

The uncertainty of Leonard’s status didn’t prevent the Clippers from pressing forward in a meaningful game against the Nuggets, leaning on a sterling defensive effort after the first quarter to pull off 102-100 win that wasn’t decided until the final shot. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to anticipate, from Latin praeventus, past participle of praevenire to come before, anticipate, forestall, from prae- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4c

Kids Definition

prevent

verb

pre·​vent pri-ˈvent 

1

: to keep from happening

prevent accidents

2

: to hold or keep back : hinder, stop

bad weather prevented us from leaving

preventable adjective

also preventible

-ə-bəl