Dictionary definition for: Prevent
1. (v) keep from happening or arising; have the effect of preventing; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"
2. (v) prevent from doing something or being in a certain state; "We must prevent the cancer from spreading" "His snoring kept me from falling asleep" "Keep the child from eating the marbles"
WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.