anticipate

verb

an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt 

anticipated; anticipating

transitive verb

1

: to give advance thought, discussion, or treatment to

2

: to meet (an obligation) before a due date

3

: to foresee and deal with in advance : forestall

4

: to use or expend in advance of actual possession

5

: to act before (another) often so as to check or counter

6

: to look forward to as certain : expect

We don't anticipate any problems during the construction.

intransitive verb

: to speak or write in knowledge or expectation of later matter

anticipatable

an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tə-bəl 

adjective

anticipator

an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• expect
• await

Choose the Right Synonym for anticipate

foresee, foreknow, divine, anticipate mean to know beforehand.

foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.

economists should have foreseen the recession

foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

prevent, anticipate, forestall mean to deal with beforehand.

prevent implies taking advance measures against something possible or probable.

measures taken to prevent leaks

anticipate may imply merely getting ahead of another by being a precursor or forerunner or it may imply checking another's intention by acting first.

anticipated the question by making a statement

forestall implies a getting ahead so as to stop or interrupt something in its course.

hoped to forestall the sale

Examples of anticipate in a Sentence

The cost turned out to be higher than anticipated.

The author anticipated objections to his theory.

The organizers of the fair anticipate a large crowd.

I did not anticipate having to pay for your ticket.

He eagerly anticipated her arrival.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company anticipates cleanup efforts to wrap up at the end of August, but the target may be adjusted as needed to ensure safety. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025

Over the past two years, multinational enterprises have been anticipating the need for strategic rebalancing of production locations, with Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America the main beneficiaries, according to the report. —Courtney Fingar, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

To say it was highly anticipated is an understatement: crowds gathered outside the church, as did the press, eager to see the high ranking British aristocrat wed one of the country’s wealthiest women. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 July 2025

Rehearse your key points out loud, anticipate curveball questions, and get comfortable in the pressure zone. —Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin anticipatus, past participle of anticipare, from ante- + -cipare (from capere to take) — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for anticipate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

anticipate

verb

an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt 

anticipated; anticipating

1

: to foresee and deal with or provide for beforehand

anticipated their objections

anticipated my every need

2

: to look forward to as certain

anticipator

-ˌpāt-ər 

noun

Etymology

from Latin anticipatus "having dealt with ahead of time," from anticipare "anticipate," literally "to occupy beforehand," from anti-, altered form of ante- "before" and -cipare, derived from capere "to take" — related to accept, capture

Medical Definition

anticipate

verb

an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt 

anticipated; anticipating

transitive verb

: to give advance thought to

intransitive verb

: to come before the expected time

—used especially of medical symptoms

Legal Definition

anticipate

transitive verb

an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt 

anticipated; anticipating

1

: to bar or invalidate (a patent) by anticipation

the patent on the compound had been anticipated by the Beilstein reference

—Misani v. Ortho Pharm. Corp., 210 A.2d 609 (1965)

2

: to negate the novelty of (an invention) by its appearance in prior art

appeared to have anticipated a variable light makeup mirror

—Wilson v. Bristol-Myers Co., 503 N.Y.S.2d 334 (1986)