Associations to the word «Prevent»

Wiktionary

PREVENT, verb. (transitive) To stop; to keep (from happening). [from 16th c.]
PREVENT, verb. (intransitive) (now rare) To take preventative measures. [from 16th c.]
PREVENT, verb. (obsolete) (transitive) To come before; to precede. [16th-18th c.]
PREVENT, verb. (obsolete) (transitive) To outdo, surpass. [16th-17th c.]
PREVENT, verb. (obsolete) (transitive) To be beforehand with; to anticipate.

Dictionary definition

PREVENT, 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".
PREVENT, 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".

Wise words

Words are always getting conventionalized to some secondary meaning. It is one of the works of poetry to take the truants in custody and bring them back to their right senses.
William Butler Yeats