Prevent, anticipate, forestall mean to deal with beforehand. Prevent implies taking advance measures against something possible or probable. See examples of prevent used in a sentence.
To prevent something means to ensure that it does not happen. Further treatment will prevent cancer from developing. Definition of prevent verb in oxford advanced learner's dictionary.
From middle english preventen ("anticipate"), from latin praeventus, perfect passive participle of praeveniō ("anticipate"), from prae ("before") + veniō ("come"). To prevent means to stop something from happening or arising. The verb prevent means "to keep something from happening," like when you use a complicated password to prevent hackers from accessing your account.
To prevent is to stop something effectually by forestalling action and rendering it impossible: To prevent the sending of a message.
