precipitate

American  

[pri-sip-i-tayt, pri-sip-i-tit, -tayt] / 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

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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

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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

Servaas Storm, an economist closely following the AI sector at the Delft University of Technology, said the industry is already facing severe financial headwinds that could precipitate a panic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

Still, buying more protection against potential credit risks won’t necessarily precipitate a slowdown in the AI build-out, according to Howard Mason, a financial analyst at Renaissance Macro Research.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Highly concentrated brines can keep phosphate dissolved in solution and can promote chemical reactions involving organic compounds and minerals that precipitate from solution.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

In 1990, when gasoline prices jumped in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, helping to precipitate a recession, the average light vehicle got 18.8 miles to the gallon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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

“I think what the Iran war basically does is it precipitates things like these, and it presents opportunities for some of the groups on the ground,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Smaller, more closely packed precipitates generally result in a stronger metal.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2025

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

An initial analysis suggests the rocks are composed of rounded grains of carbonate, a mineral that precipitates out of water.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 13, 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

After simmering below the surface for years, anger at unaffordable housing in Spain has bubbled over and precipitated a general election that will be dominated by the crisis.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Russell's case was complicated because his fall down the order was precipitated by a cascading series of events.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, his Republican and Democratic successors, dealt with the same moribund economy, and Carter oversaw another oil crisis in 1979 precipitated by the Iranian Revolution.

From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026

Sicily precipitated the eventual collision between Carthage and Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

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

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

The book opens shortly after its precipitating event.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

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

Once in the oceans, of course, groundwater will never again be suitable for drinking and human use without expensive and energy-sucking treatment or through the natural cycle of evaporating and precipitating as rain.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2025

About 66 million years ago, scientists believe, a city-size asteroid crashed into Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, precipitating a series of worldwide catastrophes: a massive earthquake, landslides, wildfires, tsunamis and temperatures reaching 700 degrees Fahrenheit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2025

There they separated out 93 by repeating a tedious sequence of heating, evaporating, dissolving, precipitating, and centrifuging over three long days.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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