anticipate

verb

an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt How to pronounce anticipate (audio)
anticipated; anticipating

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
anticipatable adjective
anticipator noun
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 This forward-looking approach allows governments to anticipate financial pressures and make informed, sustainable decisions. Tom Amburgey, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 And for Sarasota, which updated weather models now show may see more impact from Milton than first anticipated, more than 39% are out. NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024 Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate the consumer price index for September to show a 0.1% increase on a monthly basis and a 2.3% jump over the prior 12 months. Kristian Burt,sara Salinas, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2024 Prosecutor Emily Johnson said the prosecution anticipates its case could last three weeks but added that a superseding indictment could affect the length of trial, meaning additional charges or defendants could be added to the case. Kara Scannell, CNN, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for anticipate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anticipate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin anticipatus, past participle of anticipare, from ante- + -cipare (from capere to take) — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of anticipate was in 1532

Dictionary Entries Near anticipate

Cite this Entry

“Anticipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticipate. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

anticipate

verb
an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt How to pronounce anticipate (audio)
anticipated; anticipating
1
: to foresee and deal with or provide for beforehand
anticipated their objections
anticipated my every need
2
: to look forward to as certain
anticipator noun
Etymology

from Latin anticipatus "having dealt with ahead of time," from anticipare "anticipate," literally "to occupy beforehand," from anti-, altered form of ante- "before" and -cipare, derived from capere "to take" — related to accept, capture

Medical Definition

anticipate

verb
an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈtis-ə-ˌpāt How to pronounce anticipate (audio)
anticipated; anticipating

transitive verb

: to give advance thought to

intransitive verb

: to come before the expected time
used especially of medical symptoms

Legal Definition

anticipate

transitive verb
an·​tic·​i·​pate an-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt How to pronounce anticipate (audio)
anticipated; anticipating
1
: to bar or invalidate (a patent) by anticipation
the patent on the compound had been anticipated by the Beilstein referenceMisani 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 mirrorWilson v. Bristol-Myers Co., 503 N.Y.S.2d 334 (1986)

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