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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

More accurate predictions would help scientists better anticipate storms capable of disrupting satellites, navigation systems, communications networks, and power infrastructure.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

Executives value the Indiana plant investment at around $34 million and anticipate hiring 50 workers to build the truck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

“We anticipate a choppier equity market going forward and would focus on higher quality equities,” such as U.S. large-cap stocks in the industrials, materials and communication-services sectors, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

However, on Thursday and into the weekend, forecasters anticipate another uptick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

And by doing all of this, I was able to anticipate most of Rav Gershenson’s questions.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

The biotech company announced Friday that it anticipates revenue growth of 15% and 25% this year.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

It anticipates gross booking value will increase by a mid-teens percentage, driven by rise in nights and seats booked, as well as average daily rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Pegula: "She moves like a cat. She's wonderful. She's got the perfect serve. She's smart. She anticipates well."

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

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

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

Governor Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency, external ahead of anticipated floods and mudslides.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026

Significant restocking needs to follow massive inventory draws from storage, which could “absorb” some of the anticipated supply surplus, said Babin.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026

For the highly anticipated decision, the court sat in plenary formation, meaning that 11 judges took part instead of the usual five -- a format reserved for important cases.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

Another storm system is anticipated to hit the region on Sunday night and linger into Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

In that way the long-awaited visit, for which both had prepared questions and had even anticipated answers, was once more the usual everyday conversation.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The team described that enormous collection of discoveries as "the tip of the iceberg," anticipating that the full survey would uncover many more objects.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026

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

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

A week before the Deitch show opened, he was still anticipating what it might become.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

It is anticipating $3.46 billion to $3.52 billion in gross merchandise sales during the current fourth quarter, ahead of the $3.42 billion analysts expect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

They were so close I could see their hideous mouths foaming, anticipating a nice juicy meal of demigods.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

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