precaution
noun
pre·cau·tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən 
1
: care taken in advance : foresight
warned of the need for precaution
2
: a measure taken beforehand to prevent harm or secure good : safeguard
take the necessary precautions
precautionary
pri-ˈkȯ-shə-ˌner-ē
adjective 
Synonyms
- caution
- fail-safe
- palladium
- preventive
- safeguard
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Be sure to follow the usual safety precautions when cooking outdoors. When driving, she always wears her seatbelt as a precaution. Every home owner should take precautions against fire. She took the precaution of packing extra medicine for the trip.
Recent Examples on the Web The six-week-old bird was lowered and carefully extracted by Bedrosian’s colleague, Charles Preston, a zip tie around its feet as a precaution against inch-long talons. 
Matthew Brown, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 The six-week-old bird was lowered and carefully extracted by Bedrosian’s colleague, Charles Preston, a zip tie around its feet as a precaution against inch-long talons. Matthew Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2022 The 6-week-old bird was lowered and carefully extracted by Preston, a zip tie around its feet as a precaution against talons more than an inch long. Fox News, 17 Aug. 2022 The military continued its vaccination program until 1991 as a precaution against a bioterrorism attack. New York Times, 26 May 2022 Ahead of the storms, schools in Memphis and dozens in Mississippi closed early or conducted classes online as a precaution against having children in crowded buildings or on buses. NBC News, 31 Mar. 2022 Michigan's statewide tornado drill set for 1 p.m. Wednesday has been canceled as a precaution against the threat of an actual severe weather. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2022 Authorities have started to hand out the iodine pills as a precaution to people living within 35 miles of the plant. Marc Santora, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2022 This way, getting sick becomes a personal failure—people must not have washed their hands, or missed some precaution. Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 26 Aug. 2022 See More
Matthew Brown, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 The six-week-old bird was lowered and carefully extracted by Bedrosian’s colleague, Charles Preston, a zip tie around its feet as a precaution against inch-long talons. Matthew Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2022 The 6-week-old bird was lowered and carefully extracted by Preston, a zip tie around its feet as a precaution against talons more than an inch long. Fox News, 17 Aug. 2022 The military continued its vaccination program until 1991 as a precaution against a bioterrorism attack. New York Times, 26 May 2022 Ahead of the storms, schools in Memphis and dozens in Mississippi closed early or conducted classes online as a precaution against having children in crowded buildings or on buses. NBC News, 31 Mar. 2022 Michigan's statewide tornado drill set for 1 p.m. Wednesday has been canceled as a precaution against the threat of an actual severe weather. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2022 Authorities have started to hand out the iodine pills as a precaution to people living within 35 miles of the plant. Marc Santora, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2022 This way, getting sick becomes a personal failure—people must not have washed their hands, or missed some precaution. Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 26 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French précaution, from Late Latin praecaution-, praecautio, from Latin praecavēre to guard against, from prae- + cavēre to be on one's guard — more at hear
First Known Use
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
precaution
noun
pre·cau·tion pri-ˈkȯ-shən
: something done beforehand to prevent harm or trouble or bring about good results
You should take precautions against fire.
precaution
noun
as in safeguard
a measure taken to preclude loss or injury as parents of young children, they have taken the usual precaution of locking up their household cleansers Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- safeguard
- preventive
- protection
- caution
- fail-safe
- palladium
- shield
- screen
- guard
- wall
- ward
- armor
- cover