precaution

noun

pre·​cau·​tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən How to pronounce precaution (audio)
1
: care taken in advance : foresight
warned of the need for precaution
2
: a measure taken beforehand to prevent harm or secure good : safeguard
take the necessary precautions
precautionary adjective

Examples of precaution in a Sentence

Be sure to follow the usual safety precautions when cooking outdoors. When driving, she always wears her seatbelt as a precaution. Every home owner should take precautions against fire. She took the precaution of packing extra medicine for the trip.
Recent Examples on the Web Pandemic safety precautions only made that worse, Mondragon said. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024 Viewers should take precautions with solar viewing glasses or other protective methods, as normal sunglasses are not safe for observing the sun during any eclipse. Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 While the school building is safe, additional police presence will be at the high school as a precaution. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2024 The fire crews were taking precautions to block hazardous materials from potentially spreading from the batteries, one of which exploded, said the department. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for precaution 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precaution.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French précaution, from Late Latin praecaution-, praecautio, from Latin praecavēre to guard against, from prae- + cavēre to be on one's guard — more at hear

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of precaution was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near precaution

Cite this Entry

“Precaution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precaution. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

precaution

noun
pre·​cau·​tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən How to pronounce precaution (audio)
1
: care taken in advance : foresight
2
: a measure taken beforehand to prevent harm or to bring about a good result
take precautions against fire
precautionary adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on precaution

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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