as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
you can often forestall skidding on the ice simply by driving more slowly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forestall
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
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
Risings took place at Parma and Bologna, while that at Modena itself was forestalled by the arrest of the chief conspirators.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026
And, as if to forestall the accusations of exploitation that have plagued earlier shows, Love Story goes out of its way to empathize with its lovers.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forestall
Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 20 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
Risings took place at Parma and Bologna, while that at Modena itself was forestalled by the arrest of the chief conspirators.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026
And, as if to forestall the accusations of exploitation that have plagued earlier shows, Love Story goes out of its way to empathize with its lovers.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forestall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forestall
Verb
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Neighbors in Hollywood's North Lake neighborhood lost their fight to prevent a new apartment building from being constructed, after the City Commission approved the four-story, 22-unit building at North 16th Avenue and Shenandoah Street.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Cities in California and Washington state similarly passed laws to prevent businesses from refusing cash as a form of payment, McClatchy Media said.—
Hali Smith
April 15,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Three Mile Island meltdown averted by technology developed at Jamestown.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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On Friday afternoon, the workers’ union, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which represents NYC apartment-building owners, reached an agreement that would avert a strike before the April 20 deadline.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forestall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forestall. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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