Synonyms for prevent
prɪˈvɛntpre·vent

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.8 / 6 votes

1. prevent

   The original sense of prevent, to come before, act in advance of, which is now practically obsolete, was still in good use when the authorized version of the Bible was made, as appears in such passages as, "When Peter was come into the house, Jesus prevented him" (i. e., addressed him first), Matt. xvii, 25; "Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness" (i. e., by sending the blessings before the desire is formulated or expressed), Ps. xxi, 3. Anticipate is now the only single word usable in this sense; to forestall is to take or act in advance in one's own behalf and to the prejudice of another or others, as in the phrase "to forestall the market." But to anticipate is very frequently used in the favorable sense; as, his thoughtful kindness anticipated my wish (i. e., met the wish before it was expressed): or we say, "I was about to accost him when he anticipated me" (by speaking first); or one anticipates a payment (by making it before the time); in neither of these cases could we use forestall or prevent. To obviate (literally, to stop the way of or remove from the way), is to prevent by interception, so that something that would naturally withstand or disturb may be kept from doing so; to preclude, (literally, to close or shut in advance) is to prevent by anticipation or by logical necessity; walls and bars precluded the possibility of escape; a supposition is precluded; a necessity or difficulty is obviated. Prevent, which at first had only the anticipatory meaning, has come to apply to the stopping of an action at any stage, the completion or conclusion only being thought of as negatived by anticipation; the enemy passed the outworks and were barely prevented from capturing the fortress. Compare HINDER; PROHIBIT.

   Synonyms:
   anticipate, forestall, obviate, preclude

   Preposition:
   He was prevented by illness from joining the expedition.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. prevent

   Synonyms:
   hinder, obstruct, bar, neutralize, nullify, thwart, intercept, anticipate, forefend, frustrate, obviate, checkmate

   Antonyms:
   promote, aid, facilitate, expedite, encourage, advance, accelerate, induce, cause, produce

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.0 / 3 votes

1. prevent, forestall, foreclose, preclude, forbidverb

   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"

   Synonyms:
   proscribe, rule out, counter, interdict, keep, veto, preclude, forestall, prevent, prohibit, foreclose, forbid, nix, anticipate, foresee, close out, disallow

   Antonyms:
   allow, permit, let

2. prevent, keepverb

   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"

   Synonyms:
   go along, keep on, celebrate, forestall, go on, keep, restrain, hold back, save, hold, hold on, prevent, foreclose, retain, forbid, keep back, proceed, maintain, keep open, observe, hold open, preserve, sustain, continue, stay fresh, preclude

   Antonyms:
   permit, let, allow

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. choke (verb)

   stop growth

   plants can be choked by grass, and grass can be choked off by weeds

   Submitted by erhnice on July 28, 2019  

2. choke back (verb)

   fail to control one’s emotions

   they choked back tears (feelings; anger; disappointment, etc.)

   Submitted by erhnice on July 28, 2019  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. preventverb

   Synonyms:
   obstruct, HINDER, stop, impede, thwart, intercept, interrupt, obviate, preclude, frustrate, forefend, avert

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. preventverb

   Synonyms:
   thwart, hinder, obstruct, preclude, obviate, forestall, intercept, avert, parry, deter, frustrate

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "prevent":

   preventing, avoid, prevention, avert, preclude, impede, forestall, stop, deter, avoiding, hinder, warn, prevented, prevents, preventive, impeding, prohibit, pre-empt, inhibit, hamper, block, obstruct, avoidance, keep, avoided, discourage, deny, combat

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How to use prevent in a sentence?

1. Thom Tillis:

   It is critical that special counsels have the independence and resources they need to lead investigations, a back-end judicial review process to prevent unmerited removals of special counsels not only helps to ensure their investigatory independence, but also reaffirms our nation’s system of check and balances.

2. David Ibsen:

   The video is still circulating online, the technology to prevent this happening is available. Social media firms have made a decision not to invest in adopting it.

3. Karen Knudson:

   We do have a highly successful cancer vaccine against HPV-driven cancers. Now, like myself, Martina Navratilova was not of the age that could have benefited from this vaccine. But certainly, the generation behind us has an opportunity to prevent the vast majority of cervical cancers and up to six different head and neck cancers through HPV vaccination.

4. Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro:

   Until (a vaccine) is developed, we only have one option: to eliminate the mosquito and the best way to do that is to prevent the mosquito from being born, by destroying the breeding sites.

5. Lisanne Blauw:

   The function of brown fat tissue is to burn fat to generate heat, which is important to prevent a decline in body temperature during cold exposure. Therefore, we hypothesize that brown fat plays a role in the mechanism underlying the association between outdoor temperature and diabetes, in warmer climates, brown fat may be less activated, which may causally lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.