prevents
v.v. to stop something from happening or to stop someone from doing something. You use this when you want to describe a barrier or a rule that keeps things safe.
v. to keep from happening or existing; to render an action impossible through prior intervention. Transitive — requires a direct object which can be a noun or a gerund phrase.
A good lock prevents theft.
The new safety gate prevents small children from entering the kitchen while the oven is on.
Regular maintenance of the aircraft prevents mechanical failure and ensures the safety of all passengers during long-haul flights.
The verb is transitive. It often follows the pattern 'prevents [someone/something] from [doing something]'.
The rain prevents me to go outThe rain prevents me from going outPrevent is followed by the preposition 'from' and a gerund (-ing form), not a 'to' infinitive.