Preventing
/prɪˈvɛntɪŋ/
Definitions
To stop something from happening or to stop someone from doing something.
/prɪˈvɛnt/
To stop something from happening.
The police are trying to prevent further violence.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're about to spill your drink. Preventing is like stopping that spill! It's about taking action to stop something bad from happening.
👶 For kids: To stop something from happening.
More Examples
Regular exercise can help prevent heart disease.
She took precautions to prevent any accidents.
How It's Used
"Doctors try to prevent diseases through vaccination."
"The judge issued an injunction to prevent the construction."
"I wore a jacket to prevent getting cold."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
Prevention is better than cure
It is better to stop something bad from happening than to deal with the consequences after it happens.
"We should implement stricter safety measures; prevention is better than cure."
From Middle English prevenien, from Old French prévenir, from Latin praevenire ('to come before, anticipate'), from prae ('before') + venire ('to come').
The word 'prevent' has been used since the 14th century and originally meant 'to anticipate' or 'to come before.' Over time, its meaning narrowed to focus on stopping something from occurring.
Memory tip
Think of 'pre-' as 'before'. Prevent means to act before something undesirable occurs.
Word Origin
"to come before"