How to Use prevent in a Sentence

prevent

verb
  • He grabbed my arm to prevent me from falling.
  • How are you going to prevent him from finding out about the party?
  • The accident could have been prevented.
  • Can exercise and a healthy diet prevent heart disease?
  • Bad weather prevented us from leaving.
  • Seatbelts in cars often prevent serious injuries.
  • But the loss of crop from the freezes prevented them from doing so.
    Evan Lasseter, ajc, 10 July 2023
  • And the only way to prevent that is to burn the person or bind them … Tylee was burned.
    Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 13 May 2023
  • The Anvil blade features a sap groove to prevent sticking.
    Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2023
  • The stand is made out of acacia and includes feet on the bottom to prevent scratches.
    Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2024
  • What can be done to prevent and deter bats from entering your home in the first place?
    Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 27 June 2023
  • Eiland said the only way to stop Hamas and bring an end to the yearlong war is to prevent its access to aid.
    Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
  • Plus, the wide straps are lined with soft microfiber to prevent chafing and blisters.
    Sara Coughlin, SELF, 18 June 2024
  • Also, be sure to wet the inside of the mold with a little water to prevent the rice from clinging to it.
    Hetal Vasavada, Bon Appétit, 18 Feb. 2024
  • Comics rely on censors to prevent them from going over the line.
    Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
  • Live sporting events are one of the last things preventing people from cutting the cord.
    Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2024
  • The stones also weigh down the vase to counteract any heavy stems and prevent it from toppling.
    Mackenzie Nichols, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2024
  • Will bad weather prevent him from having the chance to attempt it?
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 26 May 2024
  • It is made of a soft cotton-fleece blend fabric, a zipper garage to prevent chafing and a high neck.
    Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024
  • Lee Kun Hee, late chairman of Samsung, went to great lengths to prevent unions from forming.
    Rachel Ventresca, Fortune Asia, 7 June 2024
  • Skip to end of carousel The Title 42 border policy was invoked at the start of the pandemic to help prevent the spread of covid.
    Alexandra Hinojosa, Washington Post, 15 May 2023
  • Wear safety glasses to prevent a leaf or tendril from whipping in your eye and a face mask or scarf over your face.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2024
  • Boeing failed to set up a proper system to prevent and detect fraud.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 July 2024
  • But something is preventing me from leaping out of the tub, throwing on my clothes, and joining them.
    Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
  • Judge's catch may have prevented a run from scoring, but Muncy was awarded second base because Judge left the field of play to snag the ball.
    Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 4 June 2023
  • Luckily, there is a way to prevent such a headache from happening.
    Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Jorgensen said there was nothing in the soil report to prevent the board from moving forward with the boundary plan.
    Al Gaspeny, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024
  • This will prevent the slow chemical degradation of the fuel in the mower over the winter.
    Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 10 July 2023
  • In an abundance of caution to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, 12 states prohibit the use of natural deer urine and permit only synthetic scents.
    Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The ad restrictions, first implemented by Meta in the 2020 election, are intended to prevent the spread of false claims and confusion, especially as Americans await official polling results.
    Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prevent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: