preventive

adjective

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pre·ven·tive | \ pri-ˈven-tiv

Definition of preventive

(Entry 1 of 2)

: devoted to or concerned with prevention : precautionary preventive steps against soil erosion : such as

a : designed or serving to prevent the occurrence of disease preventive medical care

b : undertaken to forestall anticipated hostile action a preventive coup

preventive

noun

Definition of preventive (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that prevents especially : something used to prevent disease

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Examples of preventive in a Sentence

Adjective Farmers are covering their crops as a preventive measure against frost. We'll take whatever preventive action is necessary. Noun if people took the simple preventive of frequently washing their hands, the spread of germs could be greatly reduced

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The federal Food Safety Modernization Act requires farmers to take preventive measures against food safety risks. — NOLA.com, "New Orleans, Baton Rouge area Business Briefs for Jan. 19, 2021," 10 Jan. 2021 The doctor added that masks, hand-washing, and other preventive measures will still be important even after people have received the vaccine. — Haley Victory Smith, Washington Examiner, "Nurse says he tested positive for coronavirus after receiving first vaccine dose," 30 Dec. 2020 Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, in a Christmas message to the country on Friday urged all South Africans to take preventive measures to slow the spread of the virus. — Andrew Meldrum, ajc, "South Africa's virus variant drives holiday surge of cases," 25 Dec. 2020 Ongoing preventive measures will likely still be needed to stop community spread. — Debra Furr-holden, The Conversation, "What’s not being said about why African Americans need to take the COVID-19 vaccine," 23 Dec. 2020 Authorities in Bangkok also called on people to step up preventive measures by avoiding gatherings, while entertainment venues and restaurants must observe social distancing. — Reuters, CNN, "Thailand had kept its coronavirus cases under control. Now it's testing thousands as it battles a shrimp market outbreak," 20 Dec. 2020 The suit also alleges state corrections officials were negligent in not carrying out proper preventive measures. — oregonlive, "Oregon officials not shielded from liability in response to coronavirus spread in state prisons, judge rules," 16 Dec. 2020 The homeless and mentally ill account for a large part of emergency health care costs that could be reduced with better preventive and early diversion programs. — Laura Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Public hospital board approves boost in funds to Bexar County safety net program," 16 Dec. 2020 The new resurgence has brought fresh stresses to medical systems and preventive efforts that officials hoped could withstand a winter onslaught. — Dasl Yoon, WSJ, "Covid-19 Surge Hits South Korea and Japan, After They Had Contained Virus," 9 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In these more favorable situations, local fire crews have the authority and incentive to quickly take advantage of preventive-burn opportunities. — Kiliii Yüyan, History & Culture, "‘There’s good fire and bad fire.’ An Indigenous practice may be key to preventing wildfires," 17 Dec. 2020 Hydroxychloroquine is an arthritis medicine that also can be used as a preventive or treatment for malaria, a red blood cell infection transmitted by a mosquito bite, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, "Trump COVID-19 treatment: President had stakes in Regeneron and Gilead, makers of antibody cocktail, Remdesivir," 3 Oct. 2020 Launched in 1938, DES was marketed as a preventive for miscarriages and premature births. — Jyoti Madhusoodanan/undark, Popular Science, "How do we know if medicines are safe during pregnancies?," 2 Oct. 2020 The coalition is partnering with companies including Moderna Inc. and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a bid to speed up development of preventives and fight the coronavirus, which has infected more than 100,000 people. — James Paton, Bloomberg.com, "Coronavirus Vaccine Work Faces Funding Gap of Almost $2 Billion," 5 May 2020 Scientists in the consortium, co-led by Galanopoulou, are studying potential preventives, too. — Jennifer Couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "As epilepsy drugs fail nearly one-third of patients, scientists seek root causes of seizures," 12 Dec. 2019 Researchers familiar with the field say CDC researchers did not invent the concept underpinning PrEP —that the same antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) used to treat HIV could, like malarial pills given to travelers, works as preventives. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "Untangling the Trump administration’s lawsuit over an HIV prevention drug," 8 Nov. 2019 Use preventives like topical creams, chewable tablets or injectables. — Caitlin Anderson, Twin Cities, "Heartworm risks for Minnesota pets rise. Here are ways to protect your dogs and cats.," 23 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preventive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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