precaution

[pri-kaw-shuhn]

noun

1. a measure taken in advance to avert possible evil or to secure good results.

2. caution employed beforehand; prudent foresight.

   Synonyms: circumspection, prudence, forethought

verb (used with object)

1. to forewarn; put on guard.

precaution

/ prɪˈkɔːʃən /

noun

1. an action taken to avoid a dangerous or undesirable event

2. caution practised beforehand; circumspection

Other Word Forms

• unprecautioned adjective
• precautious adjective
• precautionary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of precaution¹

First recorded in 1595–1605, precaution is from the Late Latin word praecautiōn- (stem of praecautiō ). See pre-, caution

Word History and Origins

Origin of precaution¹

C17: from French, from Late Latin praecautiō, from Latin praecavēre to guard against, from prae before + cavēre to beware

Example Sentences

But except for staying home, there were few precautions that the workers, mostly men from Mexico, could take.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“You’d think they would have taken extra precautions to make sure every hot spot, everything was extinguished there from the previous fire ... Apparently that didn’t happen.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“One does not become a judge without reading a great many books. Please forgive my appearance. It is a precaution against cats.”

Read more on Literature

As a necessary precaution, members of Kontos’s crew stood by the ship with axes ready to cut the ropes if the Mykali started to be dragged down.

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Industry experts and former explosives workers say plants take many precautions to avoid setting off a blast, capturing the dangers in the acronym “FISH”—friction, impact, shock and heat.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• care 
• caution 
• insurance 
• protection 
• provision 
• safeguard 
• safety measure www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does precaution mean?

A precaution is an action taken in advance to prevent something negative from happening or to lessen the impact of the negative thing if it does happen.This sense of precaution is often used with the verb take, as in take precautions or take every precaution. Precaution can also refer to caution in advance of something (which leads one to take such precautions).It can also be used as a verb meaning to warn. However, this is uncommon. The verb caution is more commonly used to mean this.Precaution has two adjective forms: precautious, meaning being careful by actively preparing to avoid something negative, and precautionary, which is used to describe things done as a precaution, as in precautionary measures. Example: Officials said they have taken every available precaution to secure the city in advance of the storm.