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anticipate

American  

[an-tis-uh-payt] / ænˈtɪs əˌpeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• anticipates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• anticipated,
  past participle,  past
• anticipating
  present participle

1. to realize beforehand; foretaste or foresee.

   to anticipate pleasure.

2. to expect; look forward to; be sure of.

   to anticipate a favorable decision.

3. to perform (an action) before another has had time to act.

4. to answer (a question), obey (a command), or satisfy (a request) before it is made.

   He anticipated each of my orders.

5. to nullify, prevent, or forestall by taking countermeasures in advance.

   to anticipate a military attack.

   Synonyms:

   avert, obviate, preclude

6. to consider or mention before the proper time.

   to anticipate more difficult questions.

7. to be before (another) in doing, thinking, achieving, etc..

   Many modern inventions were anticipated by Leonardo da Vinci.

8. Finance.

   1. to expend (funds) before they are legitimately available for use.

   2. to discharge (an obligation) before it is due.

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verb (used without object)

• anticipates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• anticipated,
  past participle,  past
• anticipating
  present participle

1. to think, speak, act, or feel an emotional response in advance.

anticipate British  

/ ænˈtɪsɪˌpeɪt /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to foresee and act in advance of

   he anticipated the fall in value by selling early

2. to thwart by acting in advance of; forestall

   I anticipated his punch by moving out of reach

3. (also intr) to mention (something) before its proper time

   don't anticipate the climax of the story

4. (may take a clause as object) to regard as likely; expect; foresee

   he anticipated that it would happen

5. to make use of in advance of possession

   he anticipated his salary in buying a house

6. to pay (a bill, etc) before it falls due

7. to cause to happen sooner

   the spread of nationalism anticipated the decline of the Empire

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Usage

Despite claims that anticipate should only be used to mean “to perform (an action) or respond to (a question, etc.) in advance” or “to forestall,” it has been used widely since the 18th century as a synonym for expect, often with an implication of pleasure: We anticipate a large turnout at the next meeting. This use is standard in all types of speech and writing.

The use of anticipate to mean expect should be avoided

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticipator
  noun
• preanticipate
  verb (used with object)
• anticipatable
  adjective
• anticipatory
  adjective
• anticipatorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• anticipating
  present
• anticipated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• anticipate
  simple
• anticipates
  simple
• have anticipated
  perfect
• has anticipated
  perfect
• am anticipating
  progressive
• are anticipating
  progressive
• is anticipating
  progressive
• have been anticipating
  perfect progressive
• has been anticipating
  perfect progressive

Past

• anticipated
  simple
• had anticipated
  perfect
• was anticipating
  progressive
• were anticipating
  progressive
• had been anticipating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will anticipate
  simple
• will have anticipated
  perfect
• will be anticipating
  progressive
• will have been anticipating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of anticipate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin anticipātus “taken before, anticipated,” past participle of anticipāre, “to take before,” equivalent to anti- (variant of ante- ante- ( def. ) ) + -cipāre (combining form of capere “to take”)

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Explanation

To anticipate something is to be expecting it. Your dog might be waiting by the door, anticipating his next walk or squirrel chase. "Anticipating something" also often implies that you are preparing to take some action because of your expectations — like when you anticipate your chess opponent's next move and plan a counterattack. The word anticipate can also mean "to come beforehand" — as in a certain musical trend anticipating another.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anticipate anticipates anticipated anticipating

"Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

This makes it extremely difficult to anticipate when another major eruption might occur.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

"Piracy… is taking up a larger and larger share of the revenues that they would anticipate being able to generate through their subscription models. So yes, it is a worry for them."

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Families should anticipate these disparities and discuss them openly before they ignite resentments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

If anything is different about him it is that he dares to anticipate the successfiil conclusion of his studies.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

The company now anticipates 2026 revenue growth in the low-twenties percentage range when excluding currency changes, up from its previous forecast of an increase in the low- to mid-teens range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The International Energy Agency anticipates a 25-percent copper supply deficit by 2035 if new deposits are not developed worldwide.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

KeyBanc analyst Jason Celino anticipates “quite a large estimate revision” when the company reports on Oct.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

It added it anticipates that demand to remain strong in the fourth quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Turns out not using the number is harder than Jus anticipates, especially when he’s alone with nothing but memories of his homeboy.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Not everyone can choose when they retire, as some are forced to do so sooner than they anticipated because of bad health, caregiving responsibilities or job cuts.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

This year it's launching just weeks before GTA 6 - arguably the most anticipated video game of the decade.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Stripping out certain one-time items, adjusted per-share earnings were 66 cents, ahead of the 57 cents anticipated by analysts, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Weeks before Serbia's highly anticipated election, Zoran Kesic, the country's star late-night talk show host, opened his monologue with a stark warning.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

The most puzzling member, perhaps, and the least anticipated.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

For now, businesses aren’t anticipating a slowdown in demand.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

American is now anticipating an adjusted loss of $1 to $1.60 a share for the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Rather than simply responding to information from the outside world, the brain is constantly anticipating what will happen next.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

“Now the real issue is ensuring that this doesn’t happen again. … We obviously need to be better at anticipating the kind of mobilization that is unfolding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Otto pressed his hands into the new night, trying to feel his way through the darkness, anticipating Mr. Flux clutching his neck at any second.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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