as in averting
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 preventing
The Heat, which was out-rebounded 61-38 in Wednesday’s loss in Denver, has had particular difficulty preventing teams from rebounding their own miss.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Eat a Nutritious Diet Eating a nutritious diet that supports your brain’s health is also key to preventing cognitive decline.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 7 Nov. 2025
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are around 97% effective in preventing measles.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025
About preventing end stage renal disease.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
The reactor also possesses a strong negative temperature coefficient, meaning the nuclear reaction naturally slows as temperatures rise, preventing a runaway event.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
The city has invested in treating the groundwater and preventing the spread of PFAS, but that process is expensive.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
When food is digested slowly, glucose is released more gradually into the bloodstream, preventing a significant spike in blood sugar levels after eating.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Eat a Nutritious Diet Eating a nutritious diet that supports your brain’s health is also key to preventing cognitive decline.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 7 Nov. 2025
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are around 97% effective in preventing measles.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025
About preventing end stage renal disease.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
The reactor also possesses a strong negative temperature coefficient, meaning the nuclear reaction naturally slows as temperatures rise, preventing a runaway event.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
The city has invested in treating the groundwater and preventing the spread of PFAS, but that process is expensive.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
When food is digested slowly, glucose is released more gradually into the bloodstream, preventing a significant spike in blood sugar levels after eating.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 6 Nov. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preventing
Verb
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To trick the brain into believing the limb is still part of the body, and — through training, over time — averting the onset of phantom limb pain.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Nov. 2025
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China has agreed to allow the export of chips critical to auto production, averting widespread shutdowns that had been predicted by the industry.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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By comparison, the workouts many people think of as HIIT involve way longer work intervals and much shorter rest periods, precluding the same level of intensity.—
Marissa Gold,
SELF,
9 Oct. 2025
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But the Republic never received any further communication about this request or any data, precluding progress.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These risks have prompted the United States, China, and other spacefaring nations to develop advanced systems for tracking, avoiding, and potentially removing orbital debris.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Maximize calcium absorption by pairing it with vitamin D, healthy fats, and proper timing, while avoiding absorption blockers such as high-oxalate foods and excessive caffeine.—
Trang Tran,
Verywell Health,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preventing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preventing. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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