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anticipate Definition

an·tici·pate (an tis′ə pāt′)

transitive verb -·pat′ed, -·pat′·ing

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

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

intransitive verb

to speak of or consider a matter prematurely

anticipate Related Forms
an·tic′i·pat′·able adjective an·tic′i·pa′·tor (-ər) noun
anticipate Synonyms

anticipate

v.

  1. To foresee

    expect, foresee, look foward to, predict, forecast, prophesy, prognosticate, hope for, look for, look ahead, wait for, count on, plan on, contemplate, have a hunch, bargain for, hold in view, have in prospect, assume, suppose, divine, conjecture, promise oneself, lean upon, entertain the hope, await, surmise, have a presentiment of, reckon on, envision, look into the future, intuit, feel in one's bones*, have a funny feeling*, champ at the bit*, hold one's breath*.

    Antonyms fear*, be surprised, be caught unawares.

  2. To forestall

    prepare for, provide against, forestall, delay, hold back, preclude, hinder, intercept, apprehend, block, be early, precede, be one step ahead*.

    Antonyms neglect*, be caught, ignore.

  3. To foretaste

    experience beforehand, have a taste of, look forward to, have an introduction to, have foreknowledge of, take a vicarious pleasure in, thrill to*, know what's coming*.

anticipate implies a looking forward to something with a foretaste of the pleasure or distress it promises, or a realizing of something in advance, and a taking of steps to meet it anticipating her visit, to anticipate trouble; expect implies a considerable degree of confidence that a particular event will happen to expect guests for dinner; hope implies a desire for something, accompanied by some confidence in the belief that it can be realized to hope for a raise; await implies a waiting for, or a being ready for, a person or thing a hearty welcome awaits you

anticipate Usage Examples

Object

  • objection: Students must develop an argument on the basis of prior case law and principle that supports their side, and anticipate objections and counter-arguments.
  • comeback: Those whose sites get de-indexed anticipate a major comeback.
  • trend: The result is a collection for boys & girls who anticipate trends and are projected into the future.
  • album: Behold the eagerly anticipated debut album ' WAVING AT PLANES ' .
  • demand: No one can accurately anticipate demand over a typical 25 year PFI contract.
  • difficulty: I anticipate difficulties depositing my dataset, how do I overcome them?

Preposition: at

  • outset: To have anticipated at the outset of the research process that such issues might arise would have saved hours of complex editing.

Preposition: that

  • majority: It is anticipated that the majority of our trainees will still come from Bristol.
  • candidate: It is anticipated that the successful candidate will be able to make the step up to Managing Planner in the near future.
  • trainee: It is not anticipated that the F1 trainee will have out of hour's on-call commitments.

Adjective complement

  • due: The rucksacks are priced at £ 5.00 - slightly higher than previously anticipated due to the addition of more road safety features.

Modifying Another Word

  • eagerly: Gunners game off The eagerly anticipated home meeting of the Charlton women's team with title rivals Arsenal next Thursday has been postponed.
  • hotly: Despite new releases from Oasis and Foo Fighters, Coldplay ' s ' X&Y ' is the most hotly anticipated release of 2005.
  • keenly: It is anticipated keenly by many of us in those rural areas.
  • highly: Born Romantic, David Kane's highly anticipated follow up to UK hit This Year's Love closes the festival.
  • originally: Duration of the exposure was originally anticipated to last for a period of 10-12 months for retrieval in early 1985.

Used with why or when

  • what: The skill is in anticipating what could go harm the server, foresee what could go wrong in a table or query.
  • where: Dangers to felling operatives must be anticipated especially where chain saws are to be used.
  • when: Maybe this couldn't have been known nor anticipated when the original quote was made.

Infinitive complement

  • commence: Testing of this final interval is anticipated to commence later this week.