pre·vent (pr -v nt )v. pre·vent·ed, pre·vent·ing, pre·vents v.tr.1. To keep from happening: took steps to prevent the strike. 2. To keep (someone) from doing something; impede: prevented us from winning. 3. Archaic To anticipate or counter in advance. 4. Archaic To come before; precede. v.intr. To present an obstacle: There will be a picnic if nothing prevents.
[Middle English preventen, to anticipate, from Latin praeven re, praevent- : prae-, pre- + ven re, to come; see gw - in Indo-European roots.]
pre·vent a·ble, pre·vent i·ble adj. pre·vent er n. Synonyms: prevent, preclude, avert, obviate, forestall These verbs mean to stop or hinder something from happening, especially by advance planning or action. Prevent implies anticipatory counteraction: "The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it" John Randolph. To preclude is to exclude the possibility of an event or action: "a tranquillity which . . . his wife's presence would have precluded" John Henry Newman. To avert is to ward off something about to happen: The pilot's quick thinking averted an accident. Obviate implies that something, such as a difficulty, has been anticipated and disposed of effectively: "the objections . . . having . . . been obviated in the preceding chapter" Joseph Butler. Forestall usually suggests anticipatory measures taken to counteract, neutralize, or nullify the effects of something: We installed an alarm system to forestall break-ins. |
prevent Verb 1. to keep from happening: vitamin C prevented scurvy 2. (often foll. by from)to keep (someone from doing something): circumstances prevented her from coming [Latin praevenire] preventable adj prevention n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Verb | 1. | prevent - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"make unnecessary, save - make unnecessary an expenditure or effort; "This will save money"; "I'll save you the trouble"; "This will save you a lot of time" deflect, fend off, forefend, forfend, head off, avert, stave off, ward off, avoid, debar, obviate - prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike" frustrate, queer, scotch, thwart, foil, baffle, bilk, cross, spoil - hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" kibosh, stop, block, halt - stop from happening or developing; "Block his election"; "Halt the process" | | 2. | prevent - stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state; "We must prevent the cancer from spreading"; "His snoring kept me from falling asleep"; "Keep the child from eating the marbles"defend - be on the defensive; act against an attack keep - hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school" keep out, shut out, exclude, shut - prevent from entering; shut out; "The trees were shutting out all sunlight"; "This policy excludes people who have a criminal record from entering the country" hold - keep from departing; "Hold the taxi"; "Hold the horse" keep away - prevent from coming close; "I tried to keep the child away from the pool" blank - keep the opposing (baseball) team from winning hinder, impede - be a hindrance or obstacle to; "She is impeding the progress of our project" rain out, wash out - prevent or interrupt due to rain; "The storm had washed out the game" allow, let, permit - make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen; "This permits the water to rush in"; "This sealed door won't allow the water come into the basement"; "This will permit the rain to run off" |
prevent verb stop, avoid, frustrate, restrain, check, bar, block, anticipate, hamper, foil, inhibit, head off, avert, thwart, intercept, hinder, obstruct, preclude, impede, counteract, ward off, balk, stave off, forestall, defend against, obviate, nip in the bud << OPPOSITE help
Translations prevent [prɪˈvɛnt] vt to prevent (sb) from doing sth → impedir (a algn) hacer algo
prevent [prɪˈvɛnt] vt to prevent (from doing) → empêcher (de faire)
prevent [prɪˈvɛnt] vt → verhindern;
prevent [prɪˈvɛnt] vt → prevenire;
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