prevented 1 of 2

adjective

as in stopped

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prevented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of prevent
as in averted
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prevented
Verb
The needs of Taiz's more than 1 million residents are now barely being met, humanitarian groups say, as access to wells is limited, desalination plants run low on fuel and water delivery trucks are largely prevented from entering the city. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 The win also prevented Indiana from suffering its first two-game losing streak in three years under coach Curt Cignetti and marked the Hoosiers’ first victory at Michigan Stadium since 1967. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Central operations benefit when disruption is prevented, and investors benefit from greater visibility and predictability. — Ben Vanpeperstraete, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 Research shows that during the 2022–23 flu season, many vaccinated people still got the flu, but the shot prevented about 70,000 hospitalizations. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 23 Oct. 2026 By next summer, the project will have prevented about 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, according to Pattern Energy, the project’s developer. — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026 Jacobs was removed this week from the commissioner’s exempt list, which had prevented him from playing or practicing. — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Zelenskyy said Saturday the speed limits had prevented Ukraine from using Starshield to shoot down Russian Shahed attack drones. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 But the oversight hasn’t prevented all allegations of wrongdoing. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevented
  1. stopped
  2. averted
  3. precluded
  4. suppressed
Adjective
  • The girl with a backpack on could be seen crossing the street while looking at her phone before the stopped truck began moving beside her, in videos obtained by ABC station WPVI and CBS station KYW.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The crash drew a crowd from the stopped traffic, who quickly spread photos and videos of the driver on social media.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopped
Verb
  • Jackson averted a suspension ahead of this season when authorities declined to file formal criminal charges after he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Each time the door shut behind the man, Shawn had the feeling that some danger had been temporarily dodged, some crisis averted until the next day.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of averted
Adjective
  • Over the ensuing decades—and fully informed of the substantial executive power exercised by the Commission—the Supreme Court has repeatedly and expressly left Humphrey's Executor in place, and so precluded Presidents from removing Commissioners at will.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of precluded
Adjective
  • General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of suppressed

Browse Nearby Words

preventative
prevented
preventing
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Cite this Entry

“Prevented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevented. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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