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prevent

pre·vent [ pri vént ] (past and past participle pre·vent·ed, present participle pre·vent·ing, 3rd person present singular pre·vents)


transitive verb 
Definition:
 
1. stop something from happening: to cause something not to happen or not to be done
Rain prevented them from playing the game.

2. stop somebody from doing something: to be the reason why somebody does not or cannot do something
a sense of duty that prevented him from abandoning the project

[15th century. < Latin prevent-, past participle of praevenire "come before, prevent" < venire "come"]

pre·vent·a·ble adjective
pre·vent·er noun
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