What does prevent mean?
Prevent is a common verb meaning to stop something from happening, especially an undesirable event. It can be used with activities, problems, diseases, accidents, damage, or other outcomes: ‘The warning helped prevent a collision.’ It can also describe stopping a person from acting, usually in the structure ‘prevent someone from doing something’: ‘The barrier prevents vehicles from entering the restricted area.’ The word often carries a practical or protective connotation and is frequently used in public safety, health, law, and prevention-related contexts. Although it is generally formal, it is completely standard in everyday English. Related forms include the noun prevention, the adjective preventable, and the adjective preventive, though these have different grammatical roles and are not always interchangeable.
verbTo stop something from happening or to stop someone from doing something. Prevent can be followed by a noun phrase or by an object followed by a present participle.
- To stop an event, action, or process from occurring.
- To stop or hinder someone from doing something.
"Regular exercise can help prevent heart disease, but it does not guarantee good health."
"The new barriers were installed to prevent accidents near the school."
"Doctors advised her to prevent the infection from spreading to other patients."
Prevent comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to come before’—a reminder that stopping something often means getting in front of it before it happens.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prevent come from?
Prevent comes from Latin praevenire, formed from prae- ‘before’ and venire ‘to come,’ and originally had senses connected with going before or anticipating. English borrowed the word through Anglo-French in the late Middle English period. Its modern sense of stopping something developed from the idea of coming before an event in order to forestall it. Cognates and related formations include preempt, preemption, and event.
Related word forms
How prevent is actually used
Prevent is formal but widely used in everyday English. It is often followed by a noun, as in ‘prevent accidents,’ or by ‘someone from doing something.’ ‘Prevent’ is not normally used to mean simply delay or postpone an event.
Easily confused with prevent
Prevent is a verb meaning to stop something from happening, whereas preventive is usually an adjective meaning intended to prevent something.
Prevent is the standard modern spelling; the variant prevent is not a distinct English word in ordinary use.