51Թ

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View synonyms for

prevent

[ pri-vent ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to keep from occurring; avert; hinder:

    He intervened to prevent bloodshed.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  2. to hinder or stop from doing something:

    There is nothing to prevent us from going.

  3. Archaic. to act ahead of; forestall.
  4. Archaic. to precede.
  5. Archaic. to anticipate.


verb (used without object)

  1. to interpose a hindrance:

    He will come if nothing prevents.

prevent

/ ɪˈɛԳ /

verb

  1. tr to keep from happening, esp by taking precautionary action
  2. troften foll byfrom to keep (someone from doing something); hinder; impede
  3. intr to interpose or act as a hindrance
  4. archaic.
    tr to anticipate or precede
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԳٲ, adjective
  • ˌԳٲˈٲ, noun
  • ˈԳٲ, adverb
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ·Գa· ·Գi· adjective
  • ·Գa·t noun
  • ·ԳiԲ· adverb
  • non·Գa· adjective
  • non·Գi· adjective
  • ܲȴ-·ԳĻ adjective
  • un·Գa· adjective
  • ܲp·ԳĻ adjective
  • un·Գi· adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of prevent1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin praeventus “anticipated,” past participle of 𱹱ī “to anticipate,” equivalent to prae- pre- ( def ) + ī “to come”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of prevent1

C15: from Latin 𱹱ī, from prae before + ī to come
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Synonym Study

Prevent, hamper, hinder, impede refer to different degrees of stoppage of action or progress. To prevent is to stop something effectually by forestalling action and rendering it impossible: to prevent the sending of a message. To hamper is to clog or entangle or put an embarrassing restraint upon: to hamper preparations for a trip. To hinder is to keep back by delaying or stopping progress or action: to hinder the progress of an expedition. To impede is to make difficult the movement or progress of anything by interfering with its proper functioning: to impede a discussion by demanding repeated explanations.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The experience of being outdoors and working with animals has already started to improve her social anxiety which prevented her from finding employment.

From

As life in Spain and Portugal stutters back to normal, the big questions are not just what went wrong but how to prevent such a full-scale power failure from happening again.

From

On Tuesday, the UN's human rights chief urged the world to "prevent the total collapse of critical life-saving support in Gaza".

From

It also alleges that the anti-DEI directives compromise the quality of the program by preventing it from effectively fulfilling the “diverse needs” of its families as dictated by the Head Start Act.

From

Funding cuts could merely hobble the lab’s staff and prevent the model from ever being advanced, or its operations could be shut down entirely, the responsibility perhaps passed on to another agency’s models.

From

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