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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

Engineers also added "dynamic slip tables" to its flight software, allowing the rover to better anticipate how much its wheels might slip on different surfaces.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

"I would anticipate they block off the time while they go through all these motions and the DA's office figures out what it wants to do."

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Because things are going to play out in ways and timing and things that we can’t anticipate, so be as prepared as we can be.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

The sounds they coax from the piano are so fresh and varied that the liner notes anticipate a listener’s natural question by pointing out that “no effects or loops” are used on the recording.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

All the contingencies we couldn’t anticipate are running through my head as I think of how slender the plan is that we’ve rested all our hopes on.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

The report anticipates that tighter credit and liquidity next year will force decelerating AI capex, more credit events and the Federal Reserve being forced to adopt a more dovish approach.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

On Thursday, Jassy entertained the possibility, saying Amazon anticipates “working with horizontal agents.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Lilly has already raised its outlook twice this year, starting the year with an outlook that anticipates revenue between $80 billion and $83 billion in 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

The company now anticipates higher fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings of $13.30 to $13.90 a share after Chili’s same-restaurant shares climbed 10% in the latest quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

When asked what she expects of her time in Louisiana, she gives the same answer, again and again: She anticipates she will only be there for two years.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Analysts were expecting negative free cash flow for that period, meaning they anticipated the company would spend more on capital expenditures and operating costs than it would generate in cash through its business.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Anthropic reports a $567 million operating loss in the third quarter ahead of its highly anticipated initial public offering.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Sarah, from Pontypool, Torfaen, said the process since Teddy's diagnosis had been "incredibly difficult" as they were often dealing with problems they could not have anticipated.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

But vaccines sales came in better than the consensus anticipated, even if they declined compared with the year-earlier period, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

I’ve been waiting longer than I’d anticipated and I have only a few minutes before the train departs.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

I’m still anticipating, even more now, that coming true.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

In her research, women assumed a disproportionate share of this mental labor, particularly the responsibility for anticipating needs and keeping track of whether tasks had been completed.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 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

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Widget says, anticipating the question.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

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