precaution
Americannoun
-
a measure taken in advance to avert possible evil or to secure good results.
-
caution employed beforehand; prudent foresight.
- Synonyms:
- circumspection, prudence, forethought
verb (used with object)
noun
-
an action taken to avoid a dangerous or undesirable event
-
caution practised beforehand; circumspection
Usage
What does precaution mean? A precaution is an action taken in advance to prevent something negative from happening or to lessen the impact of the negative thing if it does happen.This sense of precaution is often used with the verb take, as in take precautions or take every precaution. Precaution can also refer to caution in advance of something (which leads one to take such precautions).It can also be used as a verb meaning to warn. However, this is uncommon. The verb caution is more commonly used to mean this.Precaution has two adjective forms: precautious, meaning being careful by actively preparing to avoid something negative, and precautionary, which is used to describe things done as a precaution, as in precautionary measures. Example: Officials said they have taken every available precaution to secure the city in advance of the storm.
Other Word Forms
- precautionary adjective
- precautious adjective
- unprecautioned adjective
Etymology
Origin of precaution
First recorded in 1595–1605, precaution is from the Late Latin word praecautiōn- (stem of praecautiō ). See pre-, caution
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimise the risk of unintended harm," he said.
From BBC
Oil production hasn’t been shut in, but tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf has been halted as a precaution, he says.
“Kalshi doesn’t allow markets directly tied to death. We included every precaution on this market to make sure people could not trade on the outcome of death,” a Kalshi spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email.
From MarketWatch
The US military will likely have had some warning of the attack and taken precautions to evacuate personnel.
From BBC
Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia has also boosted production and exports as a precaution in case a strike disrupts flows.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
