prevent
verb (used with object)
to keep from occurring; avert; hinder.
were preventing
-
past progressiveof prevent.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The Bolivian Highway Administration warned that roadblocks on routes leading into La Paz were preventing food supplies from entering the capital.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Residents in Ashrafiyah Sahnaya and other Druze-majority areas near the capital reported that authorities were preventing motorists from going in and out of the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025
Researchers observed that these lipids were preventing the macrophage from carrying out their usual work of clearing dead cells and reducing localised inflammation in blood vessels.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024
Such an interruption should be immediately compensated by other power generators in the system, the company said, but the continuing outages in the national grid were preventing the wind plant from being brought back online.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2023
It was hard to make them realise that by taking up all our time in this way, they were preventing us from doing things that were really necessary to serve them in more important matters.
From A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson
