prevent
verb (used with object)
to keep from occurring; avert; hinder.
have prevented
-
present perfectof prevent.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.
Higher mortgage rates have prevented many aspiring home buyers from entering the housing market and stopped existing homeowners from refinancing to less-expensive mortgages.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Former health secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt told the inquiry he believes it would have prevented a number of deaths at the Countess of Chester if it had been in place sooner.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Financial constraints might have prevented Jarmond from firing Kelly sooner, but those limitations didn’t prevent him from extending Kelly’s contract in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
"Our experiments helped us reveal several factors that may have prevented scientists from designing a functional quantum bath using a single source of correlated photons for distributed entanglement," says Fink.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Was Taisin saying she could have prevented this?
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
