anticipate

American  

[an-tis-uh-peyt] / 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

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”)

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

“At this point, only the Supreme Court can bring uniformity and settle this question once and for all. I anticipate that it will do so soon,” Judge Diane S. Sykes wrote in her dissent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

On Wednesday, the ECB’s wage tracker continued to anticipate slower pay growth this year due to weak near-term growth momentum, depressed confidence and high uncertainty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

"We didn't anticipate big discoveries, given how extensively the planet has been studied, but we did complement Mars science with the data we collected through Psyche's unique perspective."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Deutsche Bank analysts anticipate that Microsoft’s free cash flow could drop near breakeven levels in its 2027 fiscal year, which has just kicked off.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Often, Tom would anticipate Coal’s needs before he even said anything.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

The maker of cleaning products and other household goods anticipates a tough year ahead as inflation and value-seeking consumers are projected to offset recent cost savings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The company still anticipates adjusted free cash flow between 2.6 billion and 2.9 billion euros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

ServiceNow anticipates that over 2.2 billion agents will participate in the global economy in coming years, all of which will need to be tracked and regulated.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

It takes up one-third of a 53-foot tractor trailer—one of 17 trailers “Phantom” travels with, and the team anticipates about 38 hours to load into a venue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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

Scientists anticipated the Falcon 9 upper stage was going to strike the lunar surface at approximately 0635 GMT on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

An expected partially open training session in Maynooth early next week has been scrapped, so, if Rashford does return as anticipated, there will be no external cameras to catch it.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Uber said it anticipated for the third quarter gross bookings of $58.25 billion to $60.25 billion, representing growth of 18% to 22% year-on-year on a constant-currency basis.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Stripping out certain one-time items, adjusted per-share earnings were $1.16, below the $1.20 anticipated by analysts, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Anyway, I was longer than anticipated in sunny Cal.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Fans have been anticipating their doubles reunion since Serena announced her return to competitive tennis in June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Analysts were anticipating $4.42 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Overall, Miller is overweighting technology stocks in his portfolio, anticipating at least high-teens-percentage earnings growth in the next five to 10 years, but he is cognizant of risks in the sector.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

“We’re anticipating those waves to kind of stay elevated through at least Tuesday.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

But they are unprepared, and Beetee, apparently anticipating he would not hold on to control, has an arsenal of five- to ten-second clips to work with.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• assume
• await
• count on
• forecast
• foresee
• prepare for
• see