Wiktionary

prevent

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English preventen (“anticipate”), from Latin praeventus, perfect passive participle of praeveniō (“I anticipate”), from prae (“before”) + veniō (“I come”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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prevent (third-person singular simple present prevents, present participle preventing, simple past and past participle prevented)

  1. (transitive) To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something). [from 16th c.]
    I brush my teeth regularly to prevent tooth decay.
    • 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      Scotland must now hope Georgia produce a huge upset and beat Argentina by at least eight points in Sunday's final Pool B match to prevent them failing to make the last eight for the first time in World Cup history.
  2. (intransitive, now rare) To take preventative measures. [from 16th c.]
    • 1897 October 16, Henry James, What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC:
      I think you must be mad, and she shall not have a glimpse of it while I'm here to prevent!
  3. (obsolete, transitive) To come before; to precede. [16th–18th c.]
  4. (obsolete, transitive) To outdo, surpass. [16th–17th c.]
  5. (obsolete, transitive) To be beforehand with; to anticipate.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  • “prevent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
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