as in preventing
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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Recent Examples of forestalling
Those efforts were defensive, aimed at forestalling oversight that might slow growth.
—
Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forestalling
Verb
-
The problem arises when excessive dust, dirt, and hair accumulate around the coils, preventing them from performing their job adequately.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, claimed that the demonstrators were preventing an ICE vehicle from leaving the federal facility and hampering operations.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Neither side showed urgency in averting the shutdown.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Democrats, Republicans and administration officials left a meeting at the White House pointing fingers at each other and seemingly no closer to averting a government shutdown at the end of Tuesday.—
The Hill staff,
The Hill,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forestalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forestalling. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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