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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preventabiltynoun
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unpreventibleadjective
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preventabilitynoun
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nonpreventableadjective
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preventibleadjective
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nonpreventibleadjective
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preventableadjective
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unpreventableadjective
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preventablyadverb
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preventinglyadverb
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quasi-preventedadjective
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unpreventedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has preventedperfect 3rd person singular
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have preventedperfect
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has been preventingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is preventingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am preventingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been preventingperfect progressive
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are preventingprogressive
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preventssingular 3rd person
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preventingparticiple
Past
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had preventedperfect
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was preventingprogressive singular
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had been preventingperfect progressive
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were preventingprogressive plural
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preventedparticiple
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preventedsimple
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
"Handle with Care"
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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.
With encouragement from Kincaid, Lee, 49, began by planting small sages that would grow quickly and help prevent erosion, since water, mulch and rain often ran down the hillside to the sidewalk.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Charles Schwab is an exception, lacking an anti-flipping policy for IPOs, while other brokers aim to prevent price destabilization.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
On Tuesday, the AHA and three other medical societies published the first guidelines to help clinicians prevent and manage CKM, as it is called, urging them to focus on their patients’ overall metabolic health.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
"We also plan to take some of our key bile acids of interest and see if supplementation of these compounds alone can help prevent or reduce disease," Allaband said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Nobody thought to require children to be human, or to prevent androids from taking over kids’ “jobs.”
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
