Definition of forestall
transitive verb
1 : to prevent the normal trading in by buying or diverting goods or by persuading persons to raise prices forestalling the wheat harvest and selling it at three times its cost — G. B. Shaw
2 archaic : intercept
4 : to exclude, hinder, or prevent by prior occupation or measures Negotiations failed to forestall the conflict.
5 : to get ahead of : anticipate detailed explanations intended to forestall questions
forestaller
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of forestall in a Sentence
Negotiations failed to forestall the conflict.
His comments were meant to forestall criticism of his proposal.
He forestalled critics by offering a defense of the project.
Recent Examples of forestall from the Web
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The storyline here in the U.K. will be the hip injury that forestalled Murray’s title defense.
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In an era of bold social experiments, postwar public housing both in America and abroad was the boldest of them all, an attempt to forestall a massive housing crunch while simultaneously sending up a trial balloon for a new urban future.
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Budding local competition was another potential concern — thus far, forestalled.
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Year after year of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus more limited actions in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, may have forestalled utter chaos or a bona fide caliphate.
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Lawmakers added the rule at the request of Cleveland city officials and others, who sought to forestall a special election on the wage hike.
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Signing the waiver this week forestalls any move for another six months.
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Whether heftier incentives will be able to keep the market moving and forestall further job cuts is far from certain.
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Signing the waiver this week would forestall any move for another six months.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forestall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of forestall
Middle English, from forstall act of waylaying, from Old English foresteall, from fore- + steall position, stall
Synonym Discussion of forestall
Other Business Terms
FORESTALL Defined for English Language Learners
forestall
playDefinition of forestall for English Language Learners
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: to stop (something) from happening or to cause (something) to happen at a later time
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: to act before (someone else) in order to prevent something
FORESTALL Defined for Kids
forestall
playDefinition of forestall for Students
forestalled
;forestalling
: to keep out, interfere with, or prevent by steps taken in advance forestalling problems
Learn More about forestall
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See words that rhyme with forestall Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for forestall Spanish Central: Translation of forestall Nglish: Translation of forestall for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of forestall for Arabic speakers
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