as in to avert
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 prevent
And that includes taking better care of your passwords to prevent the rapidly-evolving infostealer malware threat.
—
Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Crowley and members of her executive staff blamed City Hall budget cuts for their inability to prevent or limit the scope of the destruction.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Health economists have also shared concerns about long-term affordability, even if these drugs prevent diabetes or heart disease.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Perhaps more important, though, is doing your best to prevent those flares in the first place.
—Sierra Leone Starks, Allure, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prevent
Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Crowley and members of her executive staff blamed City Hall budget cuts for their inability to prevent or limit the scope of the destruction.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Health economists have also shared concerns about long-term affordability, even if these drugs prevent diabetes or heart disease.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Perhaps more important, though, is doing your best to prevent those flares in the first place.
—Sierra Leone Starks, Allure, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prevent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevent
Verb
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Though a breakup was averted, the Microsoft case established a legal precedent for how the U.S. government could pursue monopolistic tech companies, Weinstein said.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
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If Trump brings his tariffs down enough, investors believe a recession could be averted.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Federal courts have split over whether the law precludes transgender students from participating in sports that match their gender identity.—
Brooke Migdon,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2025
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Prior to that time, an ADHD diagnosis would preclude a child from getting an autism diagnosis, even though researchers currently estimate that half or more of autistic people also have ADHD.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Houston threw numbers behind the ball for most of the game to avoid getting hit by the deadly counterattacks and transitions KC has been known for.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
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Get to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prevent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevent. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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