forestall
[ fohr-stawl, fawr- ]
/ foʊrˈstɔl, fɔr- /
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.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- forest reserve,
- forest service,
- forest tent caterpillar,
- forestaff,
- forestage,
- forestalling,
- forestation,
- forestay,
- forestaysail,
- forested
Origin of forestall
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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)
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
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forestall
late 14c. (implied in forestalling), "to lie in wait for;" also "to intercept goods before they reach public markets and buy them privately" (formerly a crime; mid-14c. in this sense in Anglo-French), from Old English noun foresteall "intervention, hindrance (of justice); an ambush, a waylaying," literally "a standing before (someone)," from fore- "before" + steall "standing position" (see stall (n.1)). Modern sense of "to anticipate and delay" is from 1580s. Related: Forestalled; forestalling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper