PREVENT

prevent, keep

(verb) stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state; “We must prevent the cancer from spreading”; “His snoring kept me from falling asleep”; “Keep the child from eating the marbles”

prevent, forestall, foreclose, preclude, forbid

(verb) keep from happening or arising; make impossible; “My sense of tact forbids an honest answer”; “Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

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

(transitive) To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something). [from 16th c.]

(intransitive, now, rare) To take preventative measures. [from 16th c.]

(obsolete, transitive) To come before; to precede. [16th-18th c.]

(obsolete, transitive) To outdo, surpass. [16th-17th c.]

(obsolete, transitive) To be beforehand with; to anticipate.

Synonyms

• See also hinder

Source: Wiktionary


Pre*vent", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Prevented; p. pr. & vb. n. Preventing.] Etym: [L. praevenire, praeventum; prae before + venire to come. See Come.]

1. To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct. [Obs.] We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 1 Thess. iv. 15. We pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us. Bk. of Common Prayer. Then had I come, preventing Sheba's queen. Prior.

2. To be beforehand with; to anticipate. [Obs.] Their ready guilt preventing thy commands. Pope.

3. To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart. "This vile purpose to prevent." Shak. Perhaps forestalling night prevented them. Milton.

Pre*vent", v. i.

Definition: To come before the usual time. [Obs.] Strawberries . . . will prevent and come early. Bacon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

31 March 2025

IMPROVISED

(adjective) done or made using whatever is available; “crossed the river on improvised bridges”; “the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear”; “the rock served as a makeshift hammer”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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