Prevent meaning

prĭ-vĕnt'

To keep from happening; avert.

Took steps to prevent the strike.

verb

To keep (a person or thing) from doing something; impede.

Prevented us from winning; prevented the disease from spreading.

verb

(intransitive, now rare) To take preventative measures. [from 16th c.]

verb

Book of Common Prayer.

We pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us.

verb

Prior.

Then had I come, preventing Sheba's queen.

verb

Prevent is defined as to stop something from happening.

An example of prevent is to seat students a couple of desks away from one another to stop them from copying each other's responses on an exam.

verb

To present an obstacle.

There will be a picnic if nothing prevents.

verb

To stop or keep (from doing something)

verb

To keep from happening; make impossible by prior action; hinder.

verb

To interpose an obstacle.

verb

To stop; to keep (from happening). [from 16th c.]

I brushed my teeth to prevent them from going yellow.

verb

Middle English preventen to anticipate from Latin praevenīre praevent- prae- pre- venīre to come gwā- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Middle English preventen (“anticipate"), from Latin praeventus, perfect passive participle of praeveniÅ (“anticipate"), from prae (“before") + veniÅ (“come").

From Wiktionary

Prevent Sentence Examples