v. t. | 1. | To go before; to precede; hence, to go before as a guide; to direct. |
2. | To be beforehand with; to anticipate. | |
3. | To intercept; to hinder; to frustrate; to stop; to thwart. | |
v. i. | 1. | To come before the usual time. |
Verb | 1. | prevent - keep from happening or arising; have the effect of preventing; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer" |
2. | prevent - 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" Synonyms: keep |