anticipation
Americannoun
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the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.
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realization in advance; foretaste.
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expectation or hope.
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previous notion; slight previous impression.
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intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.
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Law. a premature withdrawal or assignment of money from a trust estate.
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Music. a tone introduced in advance of its harmony so that it sounds against the preceding chord.
noun
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the act of anticipating; expectation, premonition, or foresight
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the act of taking or dealing with funds before they are legally available or due
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music an unstressed, usually short note introduced before a downbeat and harmonically related to the chord immediately following it Compare suspension
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of anticipation
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin anticipātiōn-, stem of anticipātiō “innate notion, preconception,” from anticipāt(us) “taken before, anticipated” (past participle of anticipāre “to take before”; see anticipate) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Anticipation is excitement, waiting eagerly for something you know is going to happen. Someone who has just proposed marriage waits in anticipation for a positive reply. Anticipation can be a nervous expectation, like when the birthday party waited in anticipation for Elmer to walk in so they could surprise him. However, anticipation can also mean to be like a Boy Scout: prepared. The weather center's anticipation of the storm prevented anyone from getting hurt. It can refer to something you'd like to prevent from happening, such as "the anticipation of a tax increase next year." Either way, it's a way of looking ahead, just like its Latin roots which mean "to take care of ahead of time."
Vocabulary lists containing anticipation
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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American Born Chinese
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And then there’s the constant anticipation that something else will go wrong.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
The government’s campaign against excessive price competition helped stabilize promotions and reduced incentives for consumers to delay purchases in anticipation of deeper discounts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
In anticipation of his 11th stand-up comedy special, “Tea & Scotch,” Oswalt appeared on Delish’s “SNACKS!” to discuss all things food and cravings.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
North Norfolk District Council said additional bins had been placed around the beach in anticipation of high visitor numbers.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
With each name called, my anticipation deflated with a heavy exhale.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
