proactive measure

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   an action taken in advance to prevent a problem or improve a situation before it becomes serious

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a proactive measure' or 'proactive measures' when talking about more than one.

   Patterns

   • take a proactive measure
   • a proactive measure against something
   • proactive measures to do something

   The company took a proactive measure and trained all staff before the new system arrived.

   Installing smoke alarms is a proactive measure that saves lives.

   The government introduced proactive measures to reduce traffic in the city center.

Word forms

Common combinations

take a proactive measure

We decided to take a proactive measure and check the roof before winter.

a proactive measure against something

Vaccination is a proactive measure against serious illness.

proactive measures to reduce something

The school introduced proactive measures to reduce bullying.

adopt a proactive measure

The council adopted a proactive measure to protect the coastline.

a proactive rather than reactive measure

This is a proactive rather than reactive measure, so problems are avoided early.

Synonyms and how they differ

preventive measure

Focuses only on stopping something bad; a proactive measure can also aim to create an improvement.

precaution

Often a single small action to avoid danger, while a proactive measure can be a planned, larger step.

preemptive action

More formal and often suggests acting before someone else does; a proactive measure is usually about your own planning.

Opposites

Word family

proactively adverb

in a way that acts before problems happen

proactive adjective

acting in advance rather than waiting

Commonly confused: proactive measure or reactive measure?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “proactive measure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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