forestall

verb

fore·​stall fȯr-ˈstȯl 

forestalled; forestalling; forestalls

transitive verb

1

: to exclude, hinder, or prevent (something) by prior occupation or measures

Negotiations failed to forestall the conflict.

2

: to get ahead of (something) : anticipate

detailed explanations intended to forestall questions

3

: to prevent the normal trading in (something) by buying or diverting goods or by persuading people to raise prices

… forestalling the wheat harvest and selling it at three times its cost …

—George Bernard Shaw

4

archaic : intercept

… he sprang like a cat to the top of the cabin and ran aft. But his pursuers forestalling him, he doubled back across the cabin …

—Jack London

5

obsolete : obstruct, beset

forestaller noun

forestallment

fȯr-ˈstȯl-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of forestall

• prevent
• avert

Choose the Right Synonym for forestall

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 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 on the Web

Officials struggled to answer questions about post-fire beach safety in part because of a lack of historical data on pollution levels, a pitfall researchers would like to forestall before another disaster arrives. —Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

The former are knee-deep into climate-change politics, which is all about shifting power to planners to forestall some cataclysmic scenario that the experts claim is inevitable. —Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026

But who is the best choice for Republican voters hoping to forestall both of those possibilities? —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

Ehrlich and his supporters replied that while the Green Revolution might have forestalled widespread famine, human impacts were weighing ever more heavily on the planet. —The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from forstall act of waylaying, from Old English foresteall, from fore- + steall position, stall

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for forestall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol

Kids Definition

forestall

verb

fore·​stall fōr-ˈstȯl 

fȯr-

: to keep out, interfere with, or prevent by steps taken in advance

forestaller noun

forestallment

-ˈstȯl-mənt 

noun