precaution

noun

pre·​cau·​tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən 

1

: care taken in advance : foresight

warned of the need for precaution

2

: a measure taken beforehand to prevent harm or secure good : safeguard

take the necessary precautions

precautionary

pri-ˈkȯ-shə-ˌner-ē 

adjective

Synonyms of precaution

• safeguard
• preventive
• protection
• caution

Examples of precaution in a Sentence

Be sure to follow the usual safety precautions when cooking outdoors.

When driving, she always wears her seatbelt as a precaution.

Every home owner should take precautions against fire.

She took the precaution of packing extra medicine for the trip.

Recent Examples on the Web

The agency also reported that neighboring countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, had increased border health precautions following the case. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

The World Health Organization has noted that plague has a high fatality rate, but is also easily treated with antibiotics and the use of precautions to prevent infections. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Darrisaw returned after halftime, only to be pulled again as a precaution for a concussion evaluation following a second hit. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Those precautions meant that a name appearing to favor one merger partner over the other would also be a potential problem. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French précaution, from Late Latin praecaution-, praecautio, from Latin praecavēre to guard against, from prae- + cavēre to be on one's guard — more at hear

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precaution

• laplacian
• poblacion
• caution
• washin

Kids Definition

precaution

noun

pre·​cau·​tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən 

1

: care taken in advance : foresight

2

: a measure taken beforehand to prevent harm or to bring about a good result

take precautions against fire

precautionary

-shə-ˌner-ē 

adjective