preventing

verb

present participle of prevent
as in averting
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 preventing This year was no different, except the stakes were simply about preventing their respective seasons from getting any worse. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Abruptly moving on, like a magician preventing his audience from lingering on his last trick, Alex pulled out a tablet, holding it up to me. — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026 Sorting laundry properly is essential not just for reducing drying time and energy use, but also for protecting delicate and performance fabrics, therefore saving you money by preventing damage. — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026 Walsh plans to use the incident to advocate for more mental health resources in the city in hopes of preventing similar attacks in the future. — Logan Hall, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Research on preventing nonadherence likewise suggests that these beliefs need to be recognized early, potentially before the first prescription is written. — Marcela Gottschald, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026 Authorities credited a community member who killed the gunman and a teacher who tackled him with preventing further loss of life. — Irene Byon, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 Successful use of power also involves preventing conflicts and bringing them to a close. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026 Austrian authorities have cited the headdress’s fragility as the cause preventing its return, as per a joint study by Austrian and Mexican conservators. — News Desk, Artforum, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preventing
  1. averting
  2. precluding
  3. avoiding
Verb
  • While people in Israel are praising the passengers and the captain as heroes for averting disaster, a broader debate is emerging over government failures that allowed something like this to happen, Lonsdorf says.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot hailed for averting a catastrophe on a FlyDubai flight, described Spice Jet incorrectly.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of averting
Verb
  • More customization and settings could come to existing apps, precluding the need for people to roll their own.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The astronauts must be unassigned to other missions, available for flights (for example, by not being on parental leave or on a military assignment), not in a management position precluding their participation, and in the presence of skills relevant to the mission, among other things.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 June 2026
Definition of precluding
Verb
  • In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Preserve local input while avoiding a patchwork of regulations, ensuring communities are protected and industry provides sufficient justification and incentives.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoiding

Browse Nearby Words

prevented
preventing
prevention
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Cite this Entry

“Preventing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preventing. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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