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

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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

State officials say that could result in taxes coming in after the Legislature finishes its work, which is anticipated sometime in late March or early April. — Keith Ridler, The Seattle Times, "New Idaho governor says education will be his top priority," 7 Jan. 2019 Wide-scale releases from ICE and Border Patrol were also anticipated in the Yuma sector (covering western Arizona and the eastern edge of California), and ICE releases are set to happen in the San Diego sector (western California) as well. — Dara Lind, Vox, "Trump administration to release hundreds of immigrant families from detention," 27 Dec. 2018 Of all the Christmas movies airing on Lifetime this year, The Christmas Contract might be the most-anticipated. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The Trailer for the One Tree Hill Lifetime Christmas Movie Is Everything I Wanted," 16 Nov. 2018 Though the movie has yet to get a U.S. release date, The Queen's Corgi is already highly anticipated stateside. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Queen Elizabeth's Corgis Are Finally Getting the Movie They Deserve," 18 Oct. 2018 Kushner and Jason Greenblatt are preparing a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians whose release is highly anticipated. — Fox News, "Money or not, world can't drop Palestinian refugees, says UN," 27 Sep. 2018 President Trump’s denials of American deaths caused by Hurricane Maria came as the government braces for Hurricane Florence, which is anticipated to hit North Carolina, South Carolina, and parts of Virginia. — Linley Sanders, Teen Vogue, "President Trump Just Denied Thousands of Puerto Rican Deaths Following Hurricane Maria," 13 Sep. 2018 Chiara Ferragni's wedding was highly anticipated for more reasons than one. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Chiara Ferragni's Wedding Dress Is More Influential than Meghan Markle's," 5 Sep. 2018 That mercurial side of Trump is less likely to be experienced Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Trump has been anticipating a sit-down for weeks. — Zeke Miller, Washington Post, "Analysis: Trump’s questionable claims of success," 13 July 2018

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

16 Jan 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)

: 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)