What does it mean to prevent something?

Preventing something refers to taking action or adopting measures to ensure that a particular event or outcome does not occur. In this context, the correct choice emphasizes the act of stopping a certain situation, condition, or occurrence from happening. This can involve various strategies, such as implementing safety protocols, avoiding risky behaviors, or exercising caution to ensure that negative outcomes are avoided.

The other options illustrate different concepts: encouraging growth and development implies fostering positive change rather than stopping something, initiating a process indicates starting rather than preventing, and predicting potential outcomes involves forecasting what could happen in the future, which does not align with the act of preventing. Hence, the choice that asserts stopping something from happening aligns perfectly with the definition of prevention.