prevent

English

Alternative forms

• prævent (archaic)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈvɛnt/

• Audio (US)

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• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɛnt/
• Rhymes: -ɛnt
• Hyphenation: pre‧vent

Verb

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

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

   I brush my teeth regularly to prevent tooth decay.

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

     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.

2. (intransitive, now rare) To take preventative measures.
   • 1897 October 16, Henry James, What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC:

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

3. (obsolete, transitive) To come before; to precede.
   • 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, , London: Edowardi Whitchurche , →OCLC:

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

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

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

   • 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:

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

4. (obsolete, transitive) To outdo, surpass.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. , part II (books IV–VI), London: [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC:

     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.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To be beforehand with; to anticipate.
   • c. 1699 – 1703, Alexander Pope, “The First Book of Statius His Thebais”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, , published 1717, →OCLC:

     their ready guilt preventing thy commands

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:hinder

Derived terms

• prevent defense
• preventative
• prevention
• preventive

Translations

References

• “prevent”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.