prevent
/pɹɪˈvɛnt/ verb
Forms prevents preventing prevented prævent
- verb (transitive) To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something). “I brush my teeth regularly to prevent tooth decay.”
- verb (intransitive, now rare) To take preventative measures.
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To come before; to precede.
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To outdo, surpass.
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To be beforehand with; to anticipate.
Synonyms
throttle anticipate avert forestall foreclose preclude forbid keep
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English preventen (“anticipate”), from Latin praeventus, perfect passive participle of praeveniō (“to anticipate”), from prae (“before”) + veniō (“to come”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct. [Obs.]
- verb To be beforehand with; to anticipate. [Obs.]
- verb To come before the usual time. [Obs.]
Etymology [L. praevenire, praeventum; prae before + venire to come. See Come.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “prevent”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details