prevent
Americanverb (used with object)
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to keep from occurring; avert; hinder.
He intervened to prevent bloodshed.
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to hinder or stop from doing something.
There is nothing to prevent us from going.
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Archaic. to act ahead of; forestall.
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Archaic. to precede.
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Archaic. to anticipate.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to keep from happening, esp by taking precautionary action
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to keep (someone from doing something); hinder; impede
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(intr) to interpose or act as a hindrance
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archaic (tr) to anticipate or precede
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
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preventabilitynoun
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preventabiltynoun
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nonpreventableadjective
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nonpreventibleadjective
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preventableadjective
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preventibleadjective
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quasi-preventedadjective
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unpreventableadjective
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unpreventedadjective
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unpreventibleadjective
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preventablyadverb
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preventinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preventsimple
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preventssimple
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have preventedperfect
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has preventedperfect
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am preventingprogressive
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are preventingprogressive
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is preventingprogressive
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have been preventingperfect progressive
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has been preventingperfect progressive
Past
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preventedsimple
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had preventedperfect
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was preventingprogressive
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were preventingprogressive
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had been preventingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing prevent
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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
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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
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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
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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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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.