precaution
Americannoun
-
precautions
plural
-
a measure taken in advance to avert possible evil or to secure good results.
-
caution employed beforehand; prudent foresight.
- Synonyms:
- circumspection, prudence, forethought
verb (used with object)
noun
-
an action taken to avoid a dangerous or undesirable event
-
caution practised beforehand; circumspection
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of precaution
First recorded in 1595–1605, precaution is from the Late Latin word praecautiōn- (stem of praecautiō ). See pre-, caution
Explanation
A precaution is a careful action you make in advance. You might want to take the precaution of bringing lots of water and sunblock if you're going on a desert hike. Precaution means exactly what it sounds like. The prefix pre- means before, and caution means carefulness in the face of danger. People use glasses when they're on a computer as a precaution because there are links to long hours on a computer and vision damage. A fire drill is a precaution so that you know what to do in case of a real fire. Someone who is always careful exhibits precaution.
Vocabulary lists containing precaution
Power Prefix: pre-
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Bush's Address on 9/11
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"Women in Aviation," Vocabulary from the informational text
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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:
EasyJet said its flights from Newcastle and Glasgow were met by police in Prague as a precaution.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Canada, the U.K. and at least seven other countries took down government websites as a precaution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Their proposed detection method is intended as a precaution, not a response to an existing biological threat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Belgium’s foreign ministry temporarily took its websites offline as a precaution, it said on X, although the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium had recorded no attacks on Belgian sites.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
“We would control the operation closely,” he said, “and take every precaution possible. Of course, we wouldn’t do anything without your permission, and Brian’s father’s as well,” Derek concluded.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
Officials urged residents of flood-prone areas “to take precautions now,” including moving cars to higher ground and protecting property with sandbags.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Harper said taking simple precautions could prevent people from getting into dangerous situations.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
However, that improvement in recognizing watch areas did not lead to greater concern about the potential danger or stronger intentions to take safety precautions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Yet Americans are approaching that election with increasingly different assessments of the institutions charged with protecting them, even as their own precautions suggest a broadly shared sense of vulnerability.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
The police had not taken elaborate precautions for the trip back to Johannesburg or for my security, and I merely sat in the backseat of a sedan, unhandcuffed, with two officers riding in front.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
