precaution
noun
pre·cau·tion
pri-ˈkȯ-shən 
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
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
If temperatures climb to 87 degrees, or workers are made to work near hot equipment, employers would be mandated to take additional safety precautions to either cool the broader work site, allocate more breaks, rotate out workers or make other adjustments.
—
Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Mountainside Middle School was placed on lockdown as a precaution.
—The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The weather service suspended its normal Wednesday radio alarm system test as a precaution in case a real alert or warning is issued.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
The poll also found White adults were less likely to take precautions against catching and spreading the virus during this past holiday season.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Yet to many politicians, these precautions against espionage now feel like something of a farce.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Dismissal in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun will proceed as normal with safety precautions in place.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Across the country, last-minute watchers scrambled to drug-store counters in hopes of finding a pair of protective eclipse glasses, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued warnings about the signs of retina damage in those who viewed without precautions.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
As a precaution, the parents took the son to UC Davis hospital to be checked.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Mountainside Middle School was placed on lockdown as a precaution.
—The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The weather service suspended its normal Wednesday radio alarm system test as a precaution in case a real alert or warning is issued.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024
The poll also found White adults were less likely to take precautions against catching and spreading the virus during this past holiday season.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Yet to many politicians, these precautions against espionage now feel like something of a farce.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Dismissal in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun will proceed as normal with safety precautions in place.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Across the country, last-minute watchers scrambled to drug-store counters in hopes of finding a pair of protective eclipse glasses, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued warnings about the signs of retina damage in those who viewed without precautions.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
As a precaution, the parents took the son to UC Davis hospital to be checked.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near precaution
Cite this Entry
“Precaution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precaution. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precaution
noun
pre·cau·tion
pri-ˈkȯ-shən
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
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