prevenge

P3R1E1V4E1N1G2E1
US/pɹɪˈvɛnd͡ʒ/

noun

The act of taking, or an action taken against someone or something, ostensibly in retaliation for another act that has not yet been committed; pre-emptive action characterized as revenge.

“Anticipating Wally's inevitable sarcasm, Boris let fly with a few cutting remarks in a stunning act of prevenge.”

Similar
preemptive strike
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounprevenge (uncountable)
  1. humorousuncountableThe act of taking, or an action taken against someone or something, ostensibly in retaliation for another act that has not yet been committed; pre-emptive action characterized as revenge.

    Anticipating Wally's inevitable sarcasm, Boris let fly with a few cutting remarks in a stunning act of prevenge.

    5 more examples

    Prevenge: the act of getting one's retaliation in first.

    2007, Susie Dent, The Language Report, Oxford University Press, page 140

    They would go for what was jokingly tagged 'pre-venge'.

    2008, Duncan Campbell-Smith, Follow the Money: a History of the Audit Commission, Penguin UK (pages not numbered)

    You aren't planning prevenge, are you? . . . You know, prevenge, the state of creating revenge before the need exists.

    2013, Jeff Ayers, Long Overdue, StoneHouse Ink, Chapter 3 (pages not numbered)

    Excess is exhibited in these shows: by unruly woman Max and her "prevenge" rather than revenge logic . . .

    2015, Wendy A. Burns-Ardolino, TV Female Foursomes and Their Fans, McFarland, page 25

    Obama also had to make amends as much as possible for Bush's aggressive philosophy of preemption, which really amounted to "prevenge"—getting back at someone he feared might even think about harming our nation before they could act.

    2016, Michael Eric Dyson, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, page 142

    Synonyms: preemptive strike

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe act of taking, or an action taken against someone or something, ostensibly in retaliation for another act that has not yet been committed; pre-emptive action characterized as revenge.

Similar
preemptive strike

Origin

Punning blend of pre- + revenge.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

prevenge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenge

MLA

“prevenge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenge. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prevenge,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prevenge.

Source: prevenge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.