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 of prevent

• avert
• preclude
• avoid

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

He is charged with destruction of property to prevent its seizure, a felony that could carry five years in prison. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Ogunyemi critiques the open-door policy, advocating for structured communication to prevent fragmentation and ensure comprehensive information flow. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Ideally, that technology would prevent potentially dangerous items from hitting shelves in the first place. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

Colostrum also contains prebiotics and immune-supporting compounds, which help feed beneficial gut bacteria, prevent harmful germs from attaching to the gut wall, and support a more balanced immune response. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 17 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for prevent

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

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