anticipate
anticipate Lexical Profile
anticipate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To regard as probable; to expect or predict.
"The organizers anticipate a large turnout for the annual charity marathon."
To look forward to with pleasure or excitement.
"The children eagerly anticipated the arrival of their grandparents for the holidays."
To guess or be aware of what will happen and take action in order to be prepared.
"A skilled chess player always tries to anticipate the opponent's next several moves."
To act as a forerunner to or be earlier than (an event, discovery, or development).
"Several ancient Greek philosophers anticipated modern atomic theory by centuries."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'expect' simply means to believe something will happen, 'anticipate' often implies taking advance action to prepare for it or feeling excited about its arrival.
• Rhymes for anticipate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Latin 'anticipatus', the past participle of 'anticipare' ('to take before'), formed from 'ante-' ('before') and 'capere' ('to take').