precaution

/prɪˈkɔːʃən/ noun [C]

Definition

› something that you do to prevent bad things happening in the future: Driving alone at night can be dangerous, so always take precautions. They called the doctor as a precaution. [+ of + doing sth] He took the precaution of locking the door.

precautionary adjective a precautionary measure/step › something that you do in order to prevent something bad from happening

(Definition of precaution noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)