as in stopped
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Dissimilar Words
as in averted
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
a lot of problems would have been prevented if we'd just prepared better
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Recent Examples of prevented
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The dog was found alive and was led off the mountain by rangers, officials said, but poor weather conditions initially prevented crews from recovering the hiker’s body.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Third, that comparison to peers ignores the fact that Isom has had to navigate unique idiosyncratic headwinds that no CEO could have prevented and which none of American’s competitors had to deal with.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2026
Federal investigators physically prevented BCA agents from gathering evidence at the scene, and the BCA successfully requested a restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from destroying or altering evidence.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Federal investigators first prevented local authorities from accessing information and evidence in the Pretti shooting on Nicollet Avenue.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 16 Feb. 2026
Requiring single-member districts increased the opportunities for state legislatures to engage in partisan gerrymandering and prevented states from adopting alternative voting systems that were less vulnerable to partisan manipulation, such as proportional representation.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
The wreck's distance from shore, along with poor weather, prevented Ehorn from examining the wreck for almost two years.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Copenhagen said this almost certainly prevented him from more serious neck injuries and may have saved his life.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Liu skated on, mastering her jumps and repeating as national champion in 2020, though age restrictions prevented her from entering international competitions.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 16 Feb. 2026
The dog was found alive and was led off the mountain by rangers, officials said, but poor weather conditions initially prevented crews from recovering the hiker’s body.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Third, that comparison to peers ignores the fact that Isom has had to navigate unique idiosyncratic headwinds that no CEO could have prevented and which none of American’s competitors had to deal with.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2026
Federal investigators physically prevented BCA agents from gathering evidence at the scene, and the BCA successfully requested a restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from destroying or altering evidence.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Federal investigators first prevented local authorities from accessing information and evidence in the Pretti shooting on Nicollet Avenue.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 16 Feb. 2026
Requiring single-member districts increased the opportunities for state legislatures to engage in partisan gerrymandering and prevented states from adopting alternative voting systems that were less vulnerable to partisan manipulation, such as proportional representation.
—Jeffrey Rosen, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
The wreck's distance from shore, along with poor weather, prevented Ehorn from examining the wreck for almost two years.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Copenhagen said this almost certainly prevented him from more serious neck injuries and may have saved his life.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevented
Adjective
-
One clip appears to show a Waymo vehicle stopped while other vehicles illegally pass a stopped bus.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That's when a 51-year-old woman driving a Tesla south on Highway 85 struck the Focus, causing both cars to spin and crash into a stopped semi-truck.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In Connecticut and across New England, where talk of electricity tends to turn on highest-in-the-nation rates, the potential cold weather energy emergency faced by customers elsewhere was averted, but that success comes with a warning.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
-
After hours of House of Commons debate, a vote was averted when the government gave in to lawmakers' anger and agreed that the Intelligence and Security Committee would decide what papers should be published, rather than a senior civil servant as Starmer had proposed.—
JILL LAWLESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the ensuing decades—and fully informed of the substantial executive power exercised by the Commission—the Supreme Court has repeatedly and expressly left Humphrey's Executor in place, and so precluded Presidents from removing Commissioners at will.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Letting muscles weaken suppressed genes involved in mitochondrial function and energy production in particular, including genes that are essential for muscle endurance and recovery.—
Bonnie Tsui,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prevented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevented. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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