as in stopped
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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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Recent Examples of prevented
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The man reportedly told others to move out of the way just before the tree fell, which the people said likely prevented more of them from being hit.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
None of that prevented the butterflies Williams felt at Carnegie Hall.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Others felt that alcohol could have prevented many organic connections from forming over the weekend.
—David Harris, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
The idea that a White House ballroom would have prevented the frightening event doesn’t really add up.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The move prevented nearly a dozen employees from being fired due to a policy change at the time.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Matt Damon, who has made six films with Clooney appeared in a jokey video message to kick off the night, explaining that a prior pickleball obligation prevented him from attending in person.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Trump has repeatedly said, including in a briefing immediately following the shooting, that the 20,000-square-foot addition would have prevented a would-be shooter from getting close to him.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
The man reportedly told others to move out of the way just before the tree fell, which the people said likely prevented more of them from being hit.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
None of that prevented the butterflies Williams felt at Carnegie Hall.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Others felt that alcohol could have prevented many organic connections from forming over the weekend.
—David Harris, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
The idea that a White House ballroom would have prevented the frightening event doesn’t really add up.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The move prevented nearly a dozen employees from being fired due to a policy change at the time.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Matt Damon, who has made six films with Clooney appeared in a jokey video message to kick off the night, explaining that a prior pickleball obligation prevented him from attending in person.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prevented
Adjective
-
Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The truck crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the stopped Kia, striking the three pedestrians, CHP said.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Matt Duchene tied it for Dallas on a power play midway through the third period, seconds after his backcheck on Matt Boldy averted a short-handed goal that would've put Minnesota up by two.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The school district narrowly averted 100 layoffs at the end of March, and potentially 300 more by the end of the school year, with an emergency $10 million from Gaston County commissioners March 24.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Prevented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prevented. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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