Definition

1. Verb:
   • To stop (someone or something) from doing something or from being in a certain state: To take action to hinder or avert an event, action, or condition.
   • To keep from happening or arising; make impossible: To act as a barrier or obstacle that makes a particular outcome unattainable.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • Vaccinations help prevent serious diseases.
  • A strong password can prevent unauthorized access to your account.
  • The police set up barriers to prevent the crowd from entering the restricted area.
  • Regular maintenance can prevent major problems with your car.

Advanced Usage

• "to prevent something (from) happening": A common construction emphasizing the action taken to stop an event.
  • The new law is designed to prevent such accidents from happening again.
• "preventive/preventative" (Adjective): Describing actions taken to stop something undesirable from occurring.
  • Preventive medicine focuses on stopping illness before it starts.
• In a formal or legal context: Often used to describe measures that forestall an action or consequence.
  • The injunction was granted to prevent irreparable harm to the business.

Variants and Related Words

• Prevention (n): The act of preventing something.
  • Crime prevention is a key goal for the community.
• Preventable (adj): Describing something that can be stopped from happening.
  • Many childhood diseases are now preventable.
• Preventive/Preventative (adj/n): (As above) Used as both an adjective and a noun (e.g., a preventive).
  • Flu shots are an important preventative.

Synonyms

• Stop: To cause to cease moving or operating.
• Hinder: To create difficulties for someone or something, resulting in delay or obstruction.
• Avert: To turn away or prevent something bad from happening.
• Forestall: To prevent or obstruct (an anticipated event or action) by taking advance action.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Prevent" is not commonly used with particles to form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed through the structure "prevent [object] (from) [verb-ing].")

Related Idioms

• "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure": This proverb emphasizes that it is easier and better to stop a problem before it happens than to fix it afterward. It is related to the concept of preventive action.
  • Remember to check your tire pressure regularly. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Verb

1. 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
2. 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