forestall

[ fohr-stawl, fawr- ]

/ foʊrˈstɔl, fɔr- /

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See synonyms for: forestall / forestalling / forestallment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to prevent, hinder, or thwart by action in advance: to forestall a riot by deploying police.

to act beforehand with or get ahead of; anticipate.

to buy up (goods) in advance in order to increase the price when resold.

to prevent sales at (a fair, market, etc.) by buying up or diverting goods.

OTHER WORDS FOR forestall

1 preclude, obviate, intercept, obstruct.

2 prevent, avert.

See synonyms for forestall on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of forestall

1350–1400; Middle English forstallen, verbal derivative of forstalle,Old English foresteall intervention (to defeat justice), waylaying. See fore-, stall²

OTHER WORDS FROM forestall

fore·stall·er, nounfore·stall·ment, forestalment, nounun·fore·stalled, adjective

Words nearby forestall

forespeak, forespent, forest, forestaff, forestage, forestall, forestation, forestay, forestaysail, forest bathing, forester

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use forestall in a sentence

The field of flags on the Mall simulated a gathering of all the president’s supporters who couldn’t be there, and forestalled the optics of him being sworn in before an empty field.
Still dazzled by the inauguration show? Here’s how it came together, and why Tom Hanks looked so cold.|Maura Judkis|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
To forestall such violence, Congress set up a commission to settle the dispute.
Ted Cruz’s proposed election commission can only hurt the country|Stuart MacKay|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
They may allow the utility to forestall millions of dollars in cleanup costs outlined by the December 2014 regulations.
A Power Company’s Quiet Land-Buying Spree Could Shield It From Coal Ash Cleanup Costs|by Max Blau for Georgia Health News|November 24, 2020|ProPublica
After months of casting doubt on their efficacy in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, he decided not to send a strong message on the matter even while infected — a decision that seemed to forestall the possibility of an about-face.
Vice presidential debate: Highlights and fact-checks|Colby Itkowitz, Anne Gearan, Matt Viser, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|October 8, 2020|Washington Post

Now climate change has made it hotter and drier than ever before, and the fire we’ve been forestalling is going to happen, fast, whether we plan for it or not.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica
The invasion of Crimea, however, shows that the Putin has chosen to forestall change with the help of foreign aggression.
Ukraine’s Revolutionary Lesson for Russia|David Satter|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lukashenko had hoped that the biting cold of December would forestall protests.
Forget Kim Jong Un—China’s New Favorite Dictator Is Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.|Kapil Komireddi|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The way to beat them is not to forestall or worry about who scored points today.
How to Stop a Scandal|Michael Tomasky|May 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Chavez could be declared "temporarily absent," a narrowly legal if baldly political maneuver to forestall succession.
If Hugo Chavez Succumbs, a Dangerous Limbo for Venezuela|Mac Margolis|January 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The problem is that in an effort to forestall an Israeli strike, Obama is making war pledges now.
Obama Needs U.S. Debate Before Making Pledges to Israel About Attacking Iran|Peter Beinart|August 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Why, you—" Mandleco gave a snort of anger and started forward, but Beardsley managed to forestall him.
We're Friends, Now|Henry Hasse
Am I suddenly to obtain some post, and do people know it, or foresee it, because they forestall me and bow to me first?
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre|Jean de La Bruyre
"You would only forestall my own blow," she said quietly, and there was new silence.
The Lion's Brood|Duffield Osborne
They will report this to the rulers unless we forestall them.
Pharaoh's Broker|Ellsworth Douglass
The Russians, recognizing their peril, completed the assembly of their forces to attack the allies and forestall them.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year|Edwin Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for forestall

forestall

/ (fɔːˈstɔːl) /

verb (tr)

to delay, stop, or guard against beforehand

to anticipate

to prevent or hinder sales at (a market, etc) by buying up merchandise in advance, etc
to buy up (merchandise) for profitable resaleCompare corner (def. 21)

Derived forms of forestall

forestaller, nounforestalment or esp US forestallment, noun

Word Origin for forestall

C14 forestallen to waylay, from Old English foresteall an ambush, from fore- in front of + steall place

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

forestall

OTHER WORDS FOR forestall

Origin of forestall

OTHER WORDS FROM forestall

Words nearby forestall

Words related to forestall

How to use forestall in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forestall

Derived forms of forestall

Word Origin for forestall