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PRECAUTION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
Example:
we let our guard down
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("precaution" is a kind of...):
measure; step (any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "precaution"):
backstop (a precaution in case of an emergency)
security; security measures (measures taken as a precaution against theft or espionage or sabotage etc.)
Derivation:
precautionary (taken in advance to protect against possible danger or failure)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The trait of practicing caution in advance
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("precaution" is a kind of...):
caution; circumspection (the trait of being circumspect and prudent)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger
Example:
he handled the vase with care
Synonyms:
care; caution; forethought; precaution
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("precaution" is a kind of...):
judiciousness (good judgment)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb precaution
Context examples:
The measure of that danger is the rigour of their precautions.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
In my education my father had taken the greatest precautions that my mind should be impressed with no supernatural horrors.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
While mission managers were confident Cassini would pass through the gap successfully, they took extra precautions with this first dive, as the region had never been explored.
(Cassini Spacecraft Dives Between Saturn and Its Rings, NASA)
If this man ordered one, it is a sign of a certain amount of foresight, since he went out of his way to take this precaution against the wind.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The darkish streaks are considered special regions on Mars, where extra precautions must be taken to prevent contamination because of the suspected presence of liquid water, considered a prerequisite for life.
(NASA Weighs Use of Rover to Image Potential Mars Water Sites, NASA)
He was taking precautions against another possible famine—that was all.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Professor Challenger replied that he reserved such information for good reasons of his own, but would be prepared to give it with proper precautions to a committee chosen from the audience.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I advanced my head with precaution, desirous to ascertain if any bedroom window-blinds were yet drawn up: battlements, windows, long front—all from this sheltered station were at my command.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Anxious to omit no possible precaution, Anne struggled, and said—I am afraid, ma'am, that it is not perfectly understood.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Again I went below; but before I dropped into the lazarette I took the precaution of casting down the door in advance.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
