an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure

7.9

Stopping a problem early is better than fixing it later

idiom

: más vale prevenir que curar

My grandmother always said that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure when it came to staying healthy.

Examples

When it comes to maintaining your car, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Installing antivirus software may seem unnecessary, but an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!
It's often said that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
My mother always reminds me that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure when planning for emergencies.
In health care, they often say that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure to emphasize regular check-ups.
Experts agree that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure in preventing diseases through vaccinations.

Antonyms

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to neglect

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

Surface Forms

an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure main

Morphology

an + ounce + of + prevention + be + better + than + a + pound + of + cure

The proverb’s meaning follows directly from the literal meanings of the constituents: a small amount (ounce) of stopping a problem (prevention) is preferable to a large amount (pound) of fixing it (cure). This straightforward comparative metaphor maps clearly onto the constituent words and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows those words can readily infer the intended message.

Etymology

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure gives a simple picture: a small ounce of careful action now can save a heavy pound of work to cure a problem later. So it means a little effort to 'stop a problem' now is better than a lot of effort to 'fix it later'.