anticipate

verb

an·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt

anticipated; anticipating

Definition of anticipate

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

Other Words from anticipate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about anticipate

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Other Words from anticipate

anticipatable \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tə-bəl

\ adjective

anticipator \ an-ˈti-sə-ˌpā-tər

\ noun

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

Although the demolition is occurring about three months later than anticipated, the completion of the project is still estimated to be June of 2020. — Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "The first wall comes tumbling down at old Rocky River police station," 17 Sep. 2019 The bills can also be larger than anticipated if a hospital takes a patient’s insurance but not a doctor using that hospital. — Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, "Shadowy group behind Birmingham surprise medical bill ads unmasked," 14 Sep. 2019 Planned repair work is already delayed at Fiveash because prices came back much higher than anticipated. — Larry Barszewski, sun-sentinel.com, "Fort Lauderdale water treatment plant could fail in major storm, cutting off water to hundreds of thousands of customers," 13 Sep. 2019 The slow march to 2,000 career wins for manager Bruce Bochy is taking much longer than the Giants anticipated. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Giants on verge of worst home season in Oracle Park history, lose series to Pirates," 12 Sep. 2019 Mexico was so confident and dynamic and the U.S. so befuddled and outclassed last week it’s clear new coach Gregg Berhalter’s task of rebuilding the national team will be much more difficult than anticipated. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, "Soccer! Loss to Mexico shows U.S. men’s team still has a long way to go," 10 Sep. 2019 And the reductions might be smaller than anticipated. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "Can Jacksonville Succeed With Gardner Minshew Under Center?," 10 Sep. 2019 Because of the injuries to Gabe Lloyd (leg), Luke Benzschawel (knee) and freshmen Hayden Rucci (arm) and Clay Cundiff (head), Eschenbach got more work in camp than anyone on the staff anticipated. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Badgers walk-on tight end Jack Eschenbach an intriguing project for UW coaches," 10 Sep. 2019 The journey just took more detours than anyone could have anticipated. — Howard Fendrich, Twin Cities, "Nadal stops Medvedev comeback bid to win U.S. Open," 8 Sep. 2019

These 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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Dictionary Entries near anticipate

Statistics for anticipate

Last Updated

25 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for anticipate

The first known use of anticipate was in 1532

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More Definitions for anticipate

anticipate

verb

English 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

verb

an·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

verb

an·tic·i·pate | \ an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt

anticipated; anticipating

Medical Definition of anticipate

transitive verb

: to give advance thought to

intransitive verb

: to come before the expected time —used especially of medical symptoms

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anticipate

transitive verb

an·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)