prevent

pre·vent
P3R1E1V4E1N1T1
Canada, US, UK/pɹɪˈvɛnt//pɹəˈvɛnt/

verb

To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something).

“I brush my teeth regularly to prevent tooth decay.”

Similar
throttleanticipateavertforestallforecloseprecludeforbidkeep
Opposite
let
OriginMiddle English preventen ← Latin praeventus →
Very commonFirst used 16th c.Scrabble 12
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Meanings

verbprevent (third-person singular simple present prevents, present participle preventing, simple past and past participle prevented)

present singular third person prevents · participle present preventing · participle past prevented · past prevented · alternative prævent

  1. transitiveTo stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something).First known use 16th c.

    I brush my teeth regularly to prevent tooth decay.

    2 more examples

    Barriers have been put up to prevent more people (from) entering the stadium.

    Scotland must now hope Georgia produce a huge upset and beat Argentina by at least eight points in Sunday's final Pool B match to prevent them failing to make the last eight for the first time in World Cup history.

    2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport

    Synonyms: throttle, anticipate, avert

  2. archaicintransitiveTo take preventative measures.First known use 16th c.

    I think you must be mad, and she shall not have a glimpse of it while I'm here to prevent!

    1897 October 16, Henry James, What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC
  3. obsoletetransitiveTo come before; to precede.First known use 16th–18th c.

    We pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us.

    1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC
    2 more examples

    We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Thessalonians 4:15

    Then had I come, preventing Sheba's Queen, / To ſee the comelieſt of the Sons of Men; […]

    1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, book II (Pleasure), page 448
  4. obsoletetransitiveTo outdo, surpass.First known use 16th–17th c.

    With that he put his spurres vnto his steed, / With speare in rest, and toward him did fare, / Like shaft out of a bow preuenting speed.

    1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC
  5. obsoletetransitiveTo be beforehand with; to anticipate.

    their ready guilt preventing thy commands

    c. 1699 – 1703, Alexander Pope, “The First Book of Statius His Thebais”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something).

Similar
throttleanticipateavert

More synonyms by meaning

verbkeep from happening or arising; make impossible

Similar
forestallforecloseprecludeforbid
Broader
actmove

verbstop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state

Similar
keep
Opposite
let
Broader
actmove
Also see
forbidforecloseforestallhinderkeepobviateopposepreclude

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpraeventus
  2. Middle Englishpreventen“anticipate”
  3. Englishprevent

From Middle English preventen (“anticipate”), from Latin praeventus, perfect passive participle of praeveniō (“to anticipate”), from prae (“before”) + veniō (“to come”).

More words from Middle English, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κωλύω, διακωλύω
  • κωλύω (kōlúō)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • διακωλύω (diakōlúō)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Arabic مَنَعَ
  • مَنَعَ (manaʕa)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Bulgarian предотвратявам, попречвам
  • предотвратявам (predotvratjavam)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • попречвам (poprečvam)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Catalan impedir, prevenir
  • impedirto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • prevenirto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Chinese Mandarin 預防 /预防, 防止
  • 預防 /预防 (yùfáng)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • 防止 (fángzhǐ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Czech bránit, zabránit
  • bránitto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • zabránitto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Danish forhindre
  • forhindreto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Dutch verhinderen, voorkomen
  • verhinderento keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • voorkomento keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Esperanto malhelpi, malebligi
  • malhelpito keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • malebligito keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • preventito keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Estonian ennetama
  • ennetamato keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Finnish estää, ehkäistä
  • estääto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • ehkäistäto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
French empêcher
  • empêcherto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
German verhindern, vorbeugen
  • verhindernto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • vorbeugento keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • etwas daran hindern (zu geschehen)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Greek αποτρέπω
  • αποτρέπω (apotrépo)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Hebrew מָנַע
  • מָנַע (maná')to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Hindi निवारण
  • निवारण (nivāraṇ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Hungarian megakadályoz, meggátol
  • megakadályozto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • meggátolto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • megelőzto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Indonesian mencegah
  • mencegahto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Irish urghair, coisc
  • urghairto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • coiscto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Italian impedire, prevenire
  • impedireto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • prevenireto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Japanese 予防する
  • 予防する (yobō suru)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Korean 막다, 방해하다
  • 막다 (makda)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • 방해하다 (banghaehada)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Latin arceō
  • arceōto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Malay mencegah
  • mencegahto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Māori whakahōtaetae, whakakati
  • whakahōtaetaeto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • whakakatito keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Norwegian Bokmål forebygge
  • forebyggeto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Polish zapobiegać, zapobiec
  • zapobiegaćto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • zapobiecto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Portuguese impedir, prevenir
  • impedirto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • prevenirto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Romanian preveni, preîntâmpina
  • prevenito keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • preîntâmpinato keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Russian предотвраща́ть, предотврати́ть
  • предотвраща́ть (predotvraščátʹ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • предотврати́ть (predotvratítʹ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • меша́ть (mešátʹ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • помеша́ть (pomešátʹ)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Spanish prevenir
  • prevenirto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Swedish förhindra, förebygga
  • förhindrato keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • förebyggato keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Tagalog iwasan
  • iwasanto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Thai ป้องกัน
  • ป้องกัน (bpɔ̂ng-gan)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Ukrainian запобіга́ти, запобі́гти
  • запобіга́ти (zapobiháty)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • запобі́гти (zapobíhty)to keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Vietnamese ngăn, ngăn chặn
  • ngănto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • ngăn chặnto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
Welsh atal, rhwystro
  • atalto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede
  • rhwystroto keep from happening — see also forestall, avert, ward off, impede

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with prevent

contenteventpresentpercentsentwentrentsaintcentspentextentconsentkentsegmententintentfrequentabsenttentaccentcementbrentfragmentTrent
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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