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prevent - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'prevent' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Prevent [ v. i.]
- To come before the usual time.
2 . Prevent [ v. t.]
- To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct.
- To be beforehand with; to anticipate.
- To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart.

Meaning of 'prevent' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . prevent [ v]
Meaning (1):
- stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state
Example in sentence:
  • His snoring kept me from falling asleep;
  • Keep the child from eating the marbles;
  • We must prevent the cancer from spreading
Meaning (2):
- keep from happening or arising; make impossible
Example in sentence:
  • My sense of tact forbids an honest answer;
  • Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project

Nearby Words:

pre- preaccusation preace preach preached preacher preachership preachify preaching preachman

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