prevention
gb/pɹivˈɛnʃən/ us/pɹivˈɛnʃən/
B1
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
action
1
The act of stopping something
The act of making sure something bad does not happen.
Usage pattern:
the prevention of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'prevention' with 'precaution'. 'Prevention' is the act of stopping something from happening, while 'precaution' is a measure taken in advance to reduce risk.
Synonyms
avoidance (Focuses more on steering clear of something rather than actively stopping it.)
|
deterrence (Implies discouraging an action through fear or obstacles.)
Antonyms
encouragement (Means promoting or supporting something, the opposite of stopping it.)
|
promotion (Involves actively helping something happen.)
Collocations
crime prevention
|disease prevention
|fire prevention
|accident prevention
|prevention program
Themes
health
|safety
|law
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The new laws focus on the prevention of cybercrime.
- Regular exercise plays an important role in the prevention of heart disease.
- The charity works on the prevention of domestic violence.
- Fire drills are part of fire prevention measures.
- Vaccination is a key method for disease prevention.
Learner examples
- Washing hands helps in the prevention of sickness.
- The police work on crime prevention.
- Prevention of accidents is important at work.
- Good diet is important for disease prevention.
- The school teaches fire prevention.
Grammar
Dictionary form
prevention
IPA
GB/pɹivˈɛnʃən/
US/pɹivˈɛnʃən/
Syllables & stress
pre - ven - tion (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ven)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: prevention
- Plural: prevention, preventions
Word family
Forms
preventions
noun
Core family
Related words
preventative
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unpreventable
adjective
Expressions
prevention is better than cure
1/pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz bˈɛtɚ ðən kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
stopping problems beats fixing them later
It is better to stop a problem (especially illness) before it happens than to try to fix it later.
Examples
- You should wear sunscreen; prevention is better than cure.
- Regular exercise proves that prevention is better than cure when it comes to heart disease.
prevention is better than cure
2/pɹivˈɛnʃən ˈɪz bˈɛtɚ ðən kjˈʊɹ/
idiom
Better to stop problems early
It is better to stop a problem before it happens than to fix it later.
Examples
- When it comes to health, prevention is better than cure.
- Installing security cameras is a case of prevention is better than cure.