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prevention

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //pɹiˈvɛnʃən// UK //pɹɪvˈɛnʃən// pre·ven·tion Archaic

n. the act of stopping something bad from happening. You use this when you take action early so a problem never starts.

n. the act or practice of stopping something from happening or arising. Often used in medical, legal, or safety contexts to describe proactive measures.


SIMPLE

Regular exercise is key to the prevention of heart disease.

CONTEXTUAL

The government invested heavily in crime prevention programs to improve safety in the city center.

COMPLEX

Public health experts argue that the prevention of future pandemics requires global cooperation and a significant increase in funding for early warning systems.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English prevencion, from Medieval Latin prēventiō.

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'of' to indicate what is being stopped.

Pitfall

the prevention for accidentsthe prevention of accidentsPrevention is typically followed by 'of' rather than 'for' when identifying the negative event being avoided.

Idioms1 entry

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