prevented 1 of 2

adjective

as in stopped

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prevented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of prevent
as in averted
to keep from happening by taking action in advance a lot of problems would have been prevented if we'd just prepared better

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prevented
Verb
Soenen also wondered whether saying no differently or more forcefully could have prevented the assault. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 Rees-Mogg defended Britain’s decision to enter the war, arguing that the country’s victory over Nazi Germany preserved its sovereignty and prevented Hitler from continuing to expand across Europe. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026 Rights issues prevented them from simply making a version of Creepshow, but their idea evolved into Tales From the Darkside. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026 The first meandering rivers and floodplains developed as tree roots stabilized soil and prevented its erosion, while at the same time locking away vast amounts of atmospheric carbon into the nascent soils. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 They were coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement that prevented them from ever exposing the details of what happened, and at whose hands. — Gretchen Carlson, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026 What if, for some of these young adults, the need for transplant could have been prevented altogether? — Babak J. Orandi, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026 Cuban independent journalists Yoani Sanchez and Camila Acosta said the police prevented them from leaving their homes to cover the trial. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Those events prevented Link from rendezvousing with Swift and completing the reboost, and Katalyst had to forego its final incentive payment from NASA. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevented
  1. stopped
  2. averted
  3. precluded
  4. suppressed
Adjective
  • The girl with a backpack on could be seen crossing the street while looking at her phone before the stopped truck began moving beside her, in videos obtained by ABC station WPVI and CBS station KYW.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The crash drew a crowd from the stopped traffic, who quickly spread photos and videos of the driver on social media.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopped
Verb
  • Each time the door shut behind the man, Shawn had the feeling that some danger had been temporarily dodged, some crisis averted until the next day.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Boeing averted a potential strike from its white-collar union when the union on Thursday agreed to the planemaker's four-year contract proposal.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of averted
Adjective
  • Over the ensuing decades—and fully informed of the substantial executive power exercised by the Commission—the Supreme Court has repeatedly and expressly left Humphrey's Executor in place, and so precluded Presidents from removing Commissioners at will.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of precluded
Adjective
  • General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of suppressed

Browse Nearby Words

preventative
prevented
preventing
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Cite this Entry

“Prevented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevented. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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