prevent
verb (used with object)
to keep from occurring; avert; hinder.
has prevented
-
present perfectof prevent (3rd person singular).present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
That limbo, which for some of the named plaintiffs has lasted more than a year, has prevented them from moving forward in other ways in their financial lives, attorneys for the borrowers say.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
In the past, that secretive atmosphere has prevented information about other infectious outbreaks from becoming public, including an anthrax outbreak in 2016 in the Siberian province of Yamal that officials said killed two people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The legal process Congress created never begins, not because the claim has been heard and rejected, but because the government has prevented the statutory obligation to hear it from arising in the first place.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
That limitation has prevented scientists from using them in electronic devices such as LEDs.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
A bad case of flu has prevented me from writing to you until today.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
