prevent
American Heritage Dictionary:
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pre·vent
(prĭ-vĕnt') 
v., -vent·ed, -vent·ing, -vents. v.tr.
To present an obstacle: There will be a picnic if nothing prevents.
preventable pre·vent'a·ble or pre·vent'i·ble adj.
preventer pre·vent'er n.
v., -vent·ed, -vent·ing, -vents. v.tr.
- To keep from happening: took steps to prevent the strike.
- To keep (someone) from doing something; impede: prevented us from winning.
- Archaic. To anticipate or counter in advance.
- Archaic. To come before; precede.
To present an obstacle: There will be a picnic if nothing prevents.
[Middle English preventen, to anticipate, from Latin praevenīre, praevent- : prae-, pre- + venīre, to come.]
preventability pre·vent'a·bil'i·ty or pre·vent'i·bil'i·ty n.preventable pre·vent'a·ble or pre·vent'i·ble adj.
preventer pre·vent'er n.
SYNONYMS prevent, preclude, avert, obviate, forestall. These verbs mean to stop or hinder something from happening, especially by advance planning or action. Prevent implies anticipatory counteraction: "The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it" (John Randolph). To preclude is to exclude the possibility of an event or action: "a tranquillity which . . . his wife's presence would have precluded" (John Henry Newman). To avert is to ward off something about to happen: The pilot's quick thinking averted an accident. Obviate implies that something, such as a difficulty, has been anticipated and disposed of effectively: "the objections . . . having . . . been obviated in the preceding chapter" (Joseph Butler). Forestall usually suggests anticipatory measures taken to counteract, neutralize, or nullify the effects of something: We installed an alarm system to forestall break-ins.
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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preventable
is the preferred spelling, not -ible. See -able, -ible.
| prevent, prevaricate, procrastinate, pretty | |
| preventive, preventative, priest, prima donna |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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prevent
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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prevent
v
Definition: keep from happening or continuing
Antonyms: aid, allow, assist, cause, encourage, help, let go
Word Tutor:
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preventable
IN BRIEF: Able to keep from happening.
Many diseases are preventable if vaccinations are available.
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Mosby's Dental Dictionary:
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prevent
v
To keep from happening or existing, especially by precautionary measures.
See crossword solutions for the clue Translations:
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Prevent
Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forebygge, afværge
v. intr. - udgøre en hindring
Nederlands (Dutch)
voorkomen, verhinderen, vermijden
Français (French)
v. tr. - prévenir, éviter, faire obstacle à, empêcher
v. intr. - prévenir, empêcher, faire obstacle à
Deutsch (German)
v. - verhindern
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (παρ)εμποδίζω, παρακωλύω, αποσοβώ, αποτρέπω, προλαμβάνω
Italiano (Italian)
impedire, ostacolare, prevenire, evitare
Português (Portuguese)
v. - evitar, prevenir
Русский (Russian)
предупреждать, предотвращать, мешать
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - prevenir, evitar, impedir
v. intr. - prevenir, evitar, impedir
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - (för)hindra, förebygga
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
防止, 预防, 制止, 阻止, 妨碍
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 防止, 預防, 制止, 阻止, 妨礙
v. intr. - 妨礙, 阻止
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 막다, 방해하다
v. intr. - 방해를 하다
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 妨げる, 防ぐ, 予防する
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - הניא, עיכב, מנע, עצר
v. intr. - שם מכשול בפני
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Tutor
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Mosby's Dental Dictionary
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
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