precipitate

American  

[pri-sip-i-teyt, pri-sip-i-tit, -teyt] / prɪˈsɪp ɪˌteɪt, prɪˈsɪp ɪ tɪt, -ˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

• precipitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• precipitated,
  past participle,  past
• precipitating
  present participle

1. to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly.

   to precipitate an international crisis.

   Synonyms:

   accelerate

   Antonyms:

   retard

2. to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.

3. to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly.

   He precipitated himself into the struggle.

4. Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent.

   Synonyms:

   crystallize

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verb (used without object)

• precipitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• precipitated,
  past participle,  past
• precipitating
  present participle

1. Meteorology. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.

2. to separate from a solution as a precipitate.

3. to be cast or thrown down headlong.

adjective

1. headlong.

   a precipitate fall down the stairs.

2. rushing headlong or rapidly onward.

3. proceeding rapidly or with great haste.

   a precipitate retreat.

4. exceedingly sudden or abrupt.

   a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.

5. done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash.

   a precipitate marriage.

   Synonyms:

   impetuous, reckless

   Antonyms:

   careful

noun

• precipitates
  plural

1. Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution.

2. moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc.

precipitate British  

verb

1. (tr) to cause to happen too soon or sooner than expected; bring on

2. to throw or fall from or as from a height

3. to cause (moisture) to condense and fall as snow, rain, etc, or (of moisture, rain, etc) to condense and fall thus

4. chem to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a dissolved substance separates from solution as a fine suspension of solid particles

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adjective

1. rushing ahead

2. done rashly or with undue haste

3. sudden and brief

noun

1. chem a precipitated solid in its suspended form or after settling or filtering

precipitate Scientific  

1. To fall from the atmosphere as rain, snow, or another form of precipitation.

2. To separate as a solid from a solution in chemical precipitation.

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1. A solid material precipitated from a solution.

precipitate Cultural  

1. In chemistry, a solid material that is formed in a solution by chemical reactions and settles to the bottom of the container in which the reaction takes place. A precipitate may also be a substance removed from another by an artificial filter.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precipitability
  noun
• precipitateness
  noun
• precipitator
  noun
• unprecipitateness
  noun
• nonprecipitative
  adjective
• precipitable
  adjective
• precipitative
  adjective
• unprecipitate
  adjective
• unprecipitative
  adjective
• precipitately
  adverb
• unprecipitately
  adverb
• unprecipitatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• precipitates
  plural

Participles

• precipitating
  present
• precipitated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• precipitate
  simple
• precipitates
  simple
• have precipitated
  perfect
• has precipitated
  perfect
• am precipitating
  progressive
• are precipitating
  progressive
• is precipitating
  progressive
• have been precipitating
  perfect progressive
• has been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Past

• precipitated
  simple
• had precipitated
  perfect
• was precipitating
  progressive
• were precipitating
  progressive
• had been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will precipitate
  simple
• will have precipitated
  perfect
• will be precipitating
  progressive
• will have been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of precipitate

First recorded in 1520–30; the verb and adjective derive from Latin praecipitātus (past participle of praecipitāre “to cast down headlong”), equivalent to praecipit- (stem of praeceps “steep”; see precipice) + -ātus past participle suffix ( see -ate ¹); the noun comes from New Latin praecipitātum “a precipitate,” noun use of neuter of praecipitātus

Explanation

Precipitate usually means "bringing something on" or "making it happen" — and not always in a good way. An unpopular verdict might "precipitate violence" or one false step at the Grand Canyon could precipitate you down into the gorge. Precipitate, as a verb, can also mean specifically, "to fall from clouds," such as rain, snow, or other forms of precipitation. When used as an adjective, precipitate means "hasty" or "acting suddenly." If you decide to throw your class project in a trash masher just because someone in your class had a similar idea, then your actions might be described as precipitate. Or if you do that sort of thing regularly, you may be a precipitate person.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

precipitate precipitates precipitated precipitating

The book, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” would soon precipitate her downfall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

"But it's not to precipitate a full-blown societal or humanitarian collapse."

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

On 4 December, 2024, Yoon announced to the nation that he was declaring martial law – plunging South Korea into chaos and setting in motion a series of events that would precipitate his downfall.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

Reversing the voltage caused the precipitate to dissolve, restoring conductive pathways through the pore.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2026

Cope might have done even more, but unfortunately he went into a rather precipitate descent in his later years.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Microscopic imaging revealed a dense population of small precipitates, and the alloy remained stable at temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius -- an unusually high threshold for aluminum-based materials.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2025

Science fiction bursts at the seams with bizarre extinction scenarios, usually delivered from space, like the one that precipitates Carol’s irritating life turn.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025

Unlike uranium, thorium doesn't dissolve well in water, so it precipitates out on particles in the water column.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

Around 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, the natural wax particles in olive oil precipitates out of the oil, thus making it appear crystallized, explained olive oil retailer Brightland.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2024

In Jane Austen novels, a death often precipitates the loss of a fortune, which propels the heroine to seek a husband.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

There are several factors which precipitated what many see as the downfall of Forest City.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The transaction, while small at just 32 bitcoin, hurt investor confidence and precipitated a swift market pullback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Production ended on July 27, 1990 at a factory in Portugal, precipitated by tightening emission standards in Europe.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

Greenspan is now blamed for looking the other way as banks and brokerage firms bought and sold massive amounts of risky mortgage debt, which precipitated the devastating global financial crisis of 2008.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

The essence of pearl mixed with essence of men and a curious dark residue was precipitated.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

And the precipitating event for Trump’s change appears to have been a question-and-answer session with Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy in a Senate hearing this week.

From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026

Another possibility: Tech investment gets ahead of demand, precipitating a bust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Rumours of financial trouble sparked a run on deposits in 2022, precipitating the firm's implosion and exposing Bankman-Fried's crimes.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024

To be clear, my departure was not the precipitating event.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

A society, almost necessarily, begins every success story with the chapter that most advantages itself, and in America, these precipitating chapters are almost always rendered as the singular action of exceptional individuals.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

• accelerate
• expedite
• hasten
• trigger