prevent

• prævent (archaic)

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

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈvɛnt/

• Audio (US)

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• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt
• Hyphenation: pre‧vent

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). [from 16th c.]

   I brush my teeth regularly to prevent them from turning yellow.

   • 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. [from 16th c.]
   • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

     ‘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. [16th-18th c.]
   • Bible, 1 Thess. iv. 15

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

   • Book of Common Prayer

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

   • Prior

     Then had I come, preventing Sheba's queen.

4. (obsolete, transitive) To outdo, surpass. [16th-17th c.]
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.i:

     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.
   • Alexander Pope

     their ready guilt preventing thy commands

• See also Thesaurus:hinder

• preventative
• prevention
• preventive