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Synonyms

prevent

American  
[pri-vent] / prɪˈvɛnt /

verb (used with object)

prevents, present (3rd person singular) prevented, past participle, past preventing present participle
  1. to keep from occurring; avert; hinder.

    He intervened to prevent bloodshed.

    Synonyms:
    thwart, obviate, preclude, forestall, obstruct
    Antonyms:
    assist, help
  2. to hinder or stop from doing something.

    There is nothing to prevent us from going.

  3. Archaic. to act ahead of; forestall.

  4. Archaic. to precede.

  5. Archaic. to anticipate.


verb (used without object)

prevents, present (3rd person singular) prevented, past participle, past preventing present participle
  1. to interpose a hindrance.

    He will come if nothing prevents.

prevent British  
/ prɪˈvɛnt /

verb

  1. (tr) to keep from happening, esp by taking precautionary action

  2. to keep (someone from doing something); hinder; impede

  3. (intr) to interpose or act as a hindrance

  4. archaic (tr) to anticipate or precede

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Prevent, hamper, hinder, impede refer to different degrees of stoppage of action or progress. To prevent is to stop something effectually by forestalling action and rendering it impossible: to prevent the sending of a message. To hamper is to clog or entangle or put an embarrassing restraint upon: to hamper preparations for a trip. To hinder is to keep back by delaying or stopping progress or action: to hinder the progress of an expedition. To impede is to make difficult the movement or progress of anything by interfering with its proper functioning: to impede a discussion by demanding repeated explanations.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of prevent

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin praeventus “anticipated,” past participle of praevenīre “to anticipate,” equivalent to prae- pre- ( def. ) + venīre “to come”

Explanation

The verb prevent means "to keep something from happening," like when you use a complicated password to prevent hackers from accessing your account. Prevent comes from the Latin word praeventus, meaning "to act in anticipation of," like when you shovel the icy, snow-covered sidewalk to prevent people from falling. Prevent can also mean "to make impossible," like when a school locks the doors during a dance to prevent kids from leaving without their parents knowing.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing prevent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“The small issuance size coupled with demand from real-money investors should prevent a weak outcome,” the senior Japan rates strategist adds.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

"And this renovation will not prevent a single neo-Nazi from making the pilgrimage to Braunau."

From Barron's Jul. 22, 2026

There may also be cases when some governments use information shared in such groups to target their critics, which, Musamali argues, might be what Meta is trying to prevent.

From BBC Jul. 21, 2026

Researchers at Umeå University and collaborating institutions have developed an experimental cancer drug that may be able to slow tumor growth and prevent aggressive prostate cancer from spreading.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

The best way to prevent a conflict with Cadet Mason is to keep your distance, she’d said, like it was easy to do in a class as small as ours.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

This indicated that the lattice normally slows the process and prevents excessive uptake.

From Science Daily Jul. 15, 2026

Some central banks could be forced to sell part of their gold reserves to stabilize their currencies as oil prices start to rise, which prevents gold from acting like a safe-haven asset.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 15, 2026

There will also be one eye on Uefa's ruling which prevents multi-club owners from having more than one club in the Champions League.

From BBC Jul. 8, 2026

“You hold yourself accountable for saving and spending. And that in turn prevents you from aimless or unthinking financial behavior.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 7, 2026

Similarly, confinement prevents one having a single gluon on its own, because gluons also have color.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Security-focused officials have weighed trade blacklists and security warnings for Chinese AI companies, but disagreement has prevented action.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 21, 2026

Monica wonders if her health issues could have been prevented if she had been believed by doctors in the first place.

From BBC Jul. 19, 2026

In this way, he prevented the women from forming real relationships with each other, making them easier to control.

From BBC Jul. 18, 2026

They recorded how the sprinklers rotated, observed the water moving both inside and outside the devices, and measured the torque or twisting force produced when the sprinklers were prevented from turning.

From Science Daily Jul. 17, 2026

But not even the living people who crowded his rooms could have prevented what came next.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Critics say that rules on foreign national flags were primarily aimed at preventing the desecration of foreign flags from becoming diplomatic issues, and there were similar concerns for Japan's standard.

From Barron's Jul. 17, 2026

The government is also setting out to ensure protection for the intellectual capital of artists and media, with laws preventing companies using creative works to train AI without the artist’s control, he added.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 15, 2026

“Early detection and rapid response are critical to preventing the pest from spreading further,” the agency wrote in its warning about the infestation in Costco plants.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2026

The findings add to growing evidence that consistently getting enough sleep may play an important role in preventing weight gain and lowering the risk of obesity related diseases.

From Science Daily Jul. 13, 2026

It would not have come as a surprise to Gregor if she had not come in, since his position was preventing her from opening the window immediately.

From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka

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