precipitate

American  

[pri-sip-i-teyt, pri-sip-i-tit, -teyt] / prɪˈsɪp ɪˌteɪt, prɪˈsɪp ɪ tɪt, -ˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

• precipitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• precipitated,
  past participle,  past
• precipitating
  present participle

1. to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly.

   to precipitate an international crisis.

   Synonyms:

   accelerate

   Antonyms:

   retard

2. to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.

3. to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly.

   He precipitated himself into the struggle.

4. Chemistry. to separate (a substance) in solid form from a solution, as by means of a reagent.

   Synonyms:

   crystallize

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verb (used without object)

• precipitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• precipitated,
  past participle,  past
• precipitating
  present participle

1. Meteorology. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.

2. to separate from a solution as a precipitate.

3. to be cast or thrown down headlong.

adjective

1. headlong.

   a precipitate fall down the stairs.

2. rushing headlong or rapidly onward.

3. proceeding rapidly or with great haste.

   a precipitate retreat.

4. exceedingly sudden or abrupt.

   a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.

5. done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash.

   a precipitate marriage.

   Synonyms:

   impetuous, reckless

   Antonyms:

   careful

noun

• precipitates
  plural

1. Chemistry. a substance precipitated from a solution.

2. moisture condensed in the form of rain, snow, etc.

precipitate British  

verb

1. (tr) to cause to happen too soon or sooner than expected; bring on

2. to throw or fall from or as from a height

3. to cause (moisture) to condense and fall as snow, rain, etc, or (of moisture, rain, etc) to condense and fall thus

4. chem to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a dissolved substance separates from solution as a fine suspension of solid particles

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adjective

1. rushing ahead

2. done rashly or with undue haste

3. sudden and brief

noun

1. chem a precipitated solid in its suspended form or after settling or filtering

precipitate Scientific  

1. To fall from the atmosphere as rain, snow, or another form of precipitation.

2. To separate as a solid from a solution in chemical precipitation.

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1. A solid material precipitated from a solution.

precipitate Cultural  

1. In chemistry, a solid material that is formed in a solution by chemical reactions and settles to the bottom of the container in which the reaction takes place. A precipitate may also be a substance removed from another by an artificial filter.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precipitability
  noun
• precipitateness
  noun
• precipitator
  noun
• unprecipitateness
  noun
• nonprecipitative
  adjective
• precipitable
  adjective
• precipitative
  adjective
• unprecipitate
  adjective
• unprecipitative
  adjective
• precipitately
  adverb
• unprecipitately
  adverb
• unprecipitatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• precipitates
  plural

Participles

• precipitating
  present
• precipitated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• precipitate
  simple
• precipitates
  simple
• have precipitated
  perfect
• has precipitated
  perfect
• am precipitating
  progressive
• are precipitating
  progressive
• is precipitating
  progressive
• have been precipitating
  perfect progressive
• has been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Past

• precipitated
  simple
• had precipitated
  perfect
• was precipitating
  progressive
• were precipitating
  progressive
• had been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will precipitate
  simple
• will have precipitated
  perfect
• will be precipitating
  progressive
• will have been precipitating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of precipitate

First recorded in 1520–30; the verb and adjective derive from Latin praecipitātus (past participle of praecipitāre “to cast down headlong”), equivalent to praecipit- (stem of praeceps “steep”; see precipice) + -ātus past participle suffix ( see -ate ¹); the noun comes from New Latin praecipitātum “a precipitate,” noun use of neuter of praecipitātus

Explanation

Precipitate usually means "bringing something on" or "making it happen" — and not always in a good way. An unpopular verdict might "precipitate violence" or one false step at the Grand Canyon could precipitate you down into the gorge. Precipitate, as a verb, can also mean specifically, "to fall from clouds," such as rain, snow, or other forms of precipitation. When used as an adjective, precipitate means "hasty" or "acting suddenly." If you decide to throw your class project in a trash masher just because someone in your class had a similar idea, then your actions might be described as precipitate. Or if you do that sort of thing regularly, you may be a precipitate person.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

precipitate precipitates precipitated precipitating

"But it's not to precipitate a full-blown societal or humanitarian collapse."

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

That’s partly because consumer expect the bump at the pump to precipitate broader inflation, as has happened in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

On 4 December, 2024, Yoon announced to the nation that he was declaring martial law – plunging South Korea into chaos and setting in motion a series of events that would precipitate his downfall.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

This reaction produced a solid precipitate that gradually expanded until it completely blocked the opening.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2026

Inside of three years, credit default swaps on subprime mortgage bonds would become a trillion-dollar market and precipitate hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of losses inside big Wall Street firms.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

A 2025 Nature Reviews Materials review described direct seawater electrolysis as promising but still held back by corrosion, side reactions, metal precipitates, and limited lifetime.

From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026

Science fiction bursts at the seams with bizarre extinction scenarios, usually delivered from space, like the one that precipitates Carol’s irritating life turn.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025

Around 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, the natural wax particles in olive oil precipitates out of the oil, thus making it appear crystallized, explained olive oil retailer Brightland.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2024

An initial analysis suggests the rocks are composed of rounded grains of carbonate, a mineral that precipitates out of water.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 13, 2024

In Jane Austen novels, a death often precipitates the loss of a fortune, which propels the heroine to seek a husband.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Greenspan is now blamed for looking the other way as banks and brokerage firms bought and sold massive amounts of risky mortgage debt, which precipitated the devastating global financial crisis of 2008.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

It also precipitated devastating civil wars in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, which triggered large-scale migration from the region to Europe.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

Paul’s initial claim to fame was launching #MomTok in 2020, which precipitated the 2024 Hulu series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

Non-provoked shark attacks are usually precipitated by environmental conditions, attractants in the water, or both.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

The Doctors’ Pact precipitated a series of nonracial, antigovernment campaigns around the country, which sought to bring together Africans and Indians in the freedom struggle.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

And the precipitating event for Trump’s change appears to have been a question-and-answer session with Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy in a Senate hearing this week.

From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026

A new crisis, however, quickly put an end to exchanges, precipitating the mass incarceration of prisoners that marked the last two years of the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Maybe there will be no precipitating incident, no crackdown, no threat to America’s First Amendment tradition.

From Salon ● May 30, 2024

Rumours of financial trouble sparked a run on deposits in 2022, precipitating the firm's implosion and exposing Bankman-Fried's crimes.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2024

A society, almost necessarily, begins every success story with the chapter that most advantages itself, and in America, these precipitating chapters are almost always rendered as the singular action of exceptional individuals.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

• accelerate
• expedite
• hasten
• trigger