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forestall

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
fore·stall  (fôr-stôl, fr-)
tr.v. fore·stalled, fore·stall·ing, fore·stalls
1. To delay, hinder, or prevent by taking precautionary measures beforehand. See Synonyms at prevent.
2. To deal with or think of beforehand; anticipate.
3. To prevent or hinder normal sales in (a market) by buying up merchandise, discouraging persons from bringing their goods to market, or encouraging an increase in prices in goods already on sale.

[Middle English forestallen, to waylay and rob, from forestal, highway robbery, ambush, from Old English foresteall : fore-, fore- + steall, position; see stel- in Indo-European roots.]

fore·staller n.
fore·stallment n.

forestall
Verb
to delay, stop, or guard against beforehand: an action forestalling any further talks [Middle English forestallen to waylay]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.forestall - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"
make unnecessary, save - make unnecessary an expenditure or effort; "This will save money"; "I'll save you the trouble"; "This will save you a lot of time"
deflect, fend off, forefend, forfend, head off, avert, stave off, ward off, avoid, debar, obviate - prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike"
blockade, obstruct, stymie, stymy, embarrass, hinder, block - hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of; "His brother blocked him at every turn"
frustrate, queer, scotch, thwart, foil, baffle, bilk, cross, spoil - hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent"
kibosh, stop, block, halt - stop from happening or developing; "Block his election"; "Halt the process"
2.forestall - act in advance of; deal with ahead of time
act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

forestall
verb prevent, stop, frustrate, anticipate, head off, parry, thwart, intercept, hinder, preclude, balk, circumvent, obviate, nip in the bud, provide against
Translations
forestall [fɔːˈstɔːl] vtanticiparse a
forestall [fɔːˈstɔːl] vtdevancer
forestall [fɔːˈstɔːl] vtzuvorkommen +dat;
(discussion) → im Keim ersticken
forestall [fɔːˈstɔːl] vtprevenire


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
If he reached Znaim before the French, there would be great hope of saving the army; to let the French forestall him at Znaim meant the exposure of his whole army to a disgrace such as that of Ulm, or to utter destruction.
Should the army forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.
She did not speak to him much, but she was quick to forestall his wants.
 
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