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
In 2001, the U.S. government and 21 tribes sued the state, hoping to force the removal or replacement of hundreds of culverts that were preventing fish from swimming under state highways.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2023
The children stopped and gazed at the robber with frightened looks; but the thought that the soldiers were preventing her from doing more harm quieted their fears.
From Resurrection by Maude, Louise Shanks
