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anticipate

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The definition of anticipate is to think and/or talk ahead about what may happen, and either take action beforehand to handle the situation or be ready to respond when the time occurs.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is to put away extra money for the family vacation in case the car breaks down or someone needs medical attention.

The definition of anticipate is to complete a task before a deadline.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is to turn in a school project before the due date.

Anticipate means to use up something before you have it.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is when a person writes checks for all his bills before his next paycheck is deposited.

Anticipate is defined as to act in advance, usually as an effort to stay ahead of someone else.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is when before asking for a divorce a wife knows her husband will ask for custody of the kids, so she has a Private Investigator follow him to prove he is cheating, thus thwarting his future custody attempts.

The definition of anticipate is to be happy and excited about something upcoming.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is the feeling a woman gets as she looks forward to her wedding day.

Anticipate means to communicate (verbally or written) on a topic, expressing a personal belief or idea as to what will happen later.

(verb)

An example of anticipate is when a mother writes a note to her teenage daughter, telling her when she gets home from work she expects the weather will be nice enough to go play tennis.

See anticipate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb anticipated, anticipating

to look forward to; expect: to anticipate a pleasant vacation
to make happen earlier; precipitate
to prevent by action in advance; forestall: to anticipate an opponent's blows
to foresee (a command, wish, etc.) and perform in advance: to anticipate a request
to use or enjoy in advance: to anticipate a legacy
to be ahead of in doing or achieving: did the Vikings anticipate Columbus in discovering America?
to pay (a debt) before due

Origin: < L anticipatus, pp. of anticipare < ante-, before + *capare < capere, to take: see have

intransitive verb

to speak of or consider a matter prematurely

Related Forms:

anticipatable adjective
anticipator noun

See anticipate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb an·tic·i·pat·ed, an·tic·i·pat·ing, an·tic·i·pates

verb, transitive

To feel or realize beforehand; foresee: hadn't anticipated the crowds at the zoo.
To look forward to, especially with pleasure; expect: anticipated a pleasant hike in the country.
To deal with beforehand; act so as to mitigate, nullify, or prevent: anticipated the storm by boarding up the windows. See Synonyms at expect.
To cause to happen in advance; accelerate.
To use in advance, as income not yet available.
To pay (a debt) before it is due.

verb, intransitive

To think, speak, or write about a matter in advance.

Origin:

Origin: Latin anticipāre, anticipāt-, to take before

Origin: : ante-, ante-

Origin: + capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

an·ticˈi·patˌa·ble adjective

an·ticˈi·paˌtor noun

an·ticˈi·pa·toˌry (-pə-tôrˌē, -tōrˌē) adjective

Usage Note: Some people hold that anticipate is improperly used as a simple synonym for expect; they would restrict its use to situations in which advance action is taken either to forestall (anticipate her opponent's next move) or to fulfill (anticipate my desires). In earlier surveys, however, a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the use of anticipate to mean “to feel or to realize beforehand” and “to look forward to.” The word unanticipated, however, is not established as a synonym for unexpected. Thus 77 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence They always set aside a little extra food for unanticipated guests, inasmuch as guests for whom advance provision has been made cannot be said to be unanticipated, though they may very well be unexpected.

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