as in averting
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
a lot of problems would have been prevented if we'd just prepared better
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Recent Examples of preventing
Tips to Prevent Pipes from Freezing Insulation is key in preventing frozen pipes, which means plumbing in areas like attics, exterior walls, outdoor pipes, and crawl spaces, will likely require extra insulation.
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Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
The Kolhan regional chief forest conservator, Smita Pankaj, also told the Times that the agencies were mainly focused on preventing any further casualties.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Washing and drying your hands before applying contacts is important for preventing eye infections from various sources.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Iraq was under the auspices of preventing another attack.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
The Heat, which was out-rebounded 61-38 in Wednesday’s loss in Denver, has had particular difficulty preventing teams from rebounding their own miss.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Eat a Nutritious Diet Eating a nutritious diet that supports your brain’s health is also key to preventing cognitive decline.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 7 Nov. 2025
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are around 97% effective in preventing measles.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025
About preventing end stage renal disease.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preventing
Verb
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To trick the brain into believing the limb is still part of the body, and — through training, over time — averting the onset of phantom limb pain.—
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China has agreed to allow the export of chips critical to auto production, averting widespread shutdowns that had been predicted by the industry.—
Verb
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By comparison, the workouts many people think of as HIIT involve way longer work intervals and much shorter rest periods, precluding the same level of intensity.—
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But the Republic never received any further communication about this request or any data, precluding progress.—
Verb
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Managing heartburn is more effective by eating smaller portions and avoiding late night meals.—
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has done a great job of avoiding interceptions throughout this season.—
Cite this Entry
“Preventing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preventing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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