an·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt 
\
\anticipated; anticipating
Definition of anticipate
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.
: to speak or write in knowledge or expectation of later matter
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Other Words from anticipate
anticipatable \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tə-bəl \ adjective
\ adjectiveanticipator \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tər \ noun
\ noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web Forecasters anticipate Eta reaching the Cayman Islands on Saturday and moving over Cuba that night or Sunday.
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Katelyn Umholtz, NOLA.com, "Eta could re-strengthen into tropical storm on way to Gulf of Mexico; see forecast," 6 Nov. 2020 Political analysts and community activists also anticipate that the contest could come down to which candidate voters believed was more invested in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness and affordable housing.
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Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, "Holly Mitchell leads Herb Wesson in race for L.A. County Board of Supervisors seat," 3 Nov. 2020 Aside from a potential change in butchers and additional solicitation of private property owners to go on their land, city officials anticipate that the annual deer culling program, now entering its fifth year, will remain largely the same.
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Thomas Jewell, cleveland, "Thinning the herd: Shaker gives green light to fifth annual deer culling program, with a few changes," 30 Oct. 2020 Officials anticipate the process will take several weeks, and each property can cost about $75,000.
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oregonlive, "Beachie Creek fire victims get help with hazardous waste cleanup in aftermath," 29 Oct. 2020 Moreover, meteorologists anticipate the storm to move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as soon as early next week.
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Garfield Hylton, orlandosentinel.com, "Caribbean system near Florida at 100% chance to develop; Hurricane Epsilon maintains Category 1 strength," 24 Oct. 2020 Organizers for the event anticipate a smaller crowd than in prior years.
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al, "Everything you need to know about flinging a dead fish into Alabama," 23 Oct. 2020 Under that scenario, many investors anticipate that Democrats would pursue not just additional coronavirus aid but also large-scale infrastructure spending.
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Sam Goldfarb, WSJ, "Treasury Yields Touch Multi-Month Highs," 21 Oct. 2020 People have the option of voting early and by mail, and officials anticipate clear results might take days, if not weeks.
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Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, "Election 2020: Police in cities nationwide bracing for potential unrest in days before, after Nov. 3," 21 Oct. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anticipate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anticipate
anticipate
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of anticipate
: to think of (something that will or might happen in the future)
: to expect or look ahead to (something) with pleasure : to look forward to (something)
formal : to do something before someone else
See the full definition for anticipate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
anticipate
verban·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt \
\anticipated; anticipating
Kids Definition of anticipate
1 : to foresee and deal with or provide for beforehand
The waiters anticipate your every wish.
2 : to look forward to
… now everyone anticipated the celebration.— Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising
anticipate
verban·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt \
\anticipated; anticipating
Medical Definition of anticipate
: to give advance thought to
: to come before the expected time
—used especially of medical symptoms
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anticipate
transitive verban·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt \
\anticipated; anticipating
Legal Definition of anticipate
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)
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Time Traveler for anticipate
The first known use of anticipate was in 1532
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