First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
forestall
verb fore·stall \fȯr-ˈstȯl\
: to stop (something) from happening or to cause (something) to happen at a later time
: to act before (someone else) in order to prevent something
Full Definition of FORESTALL
transitive verb
1
: to prevent the normal trading in by buying or diverting goods or by persuading persons to raise prices
2
archaic : intercept
4
: to exclude, hinder, or prevent by prior occupation or measures
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Origin of FORESTALL
Middle English, from forstall act of waylaying, from Old English foresteall, from fore- + steall position, stall
Synonym Discussion of FORESTALL
prevent, anticipate, forestall mean to deal with beforehand. prevent implies taking advance measures against something possible or probable <measures taken to prevent leaks>. anticipate may imply merely getting ahead of another by being a precursor or forerunner or it may imply checking another's intention by acting first <anticipated the question by making a statement>. forestall implies a getting ahead so as to stop or interrupt something in its course <hoped to forestall the sale>.
Other Business Terms
Rhymes with FORESTALL
ALGOL, and all, Antall, appall, Argall, argol, air ball, ashfall, at all, atoll, AWOL, baseball, beach ball, beanball, befall, Bengal, best-ball, birdcall, blackball, Bokmål, bookstall, box stall, bradawl, brick wall, broomball, catcall, catchall, cell wall, COBOL, cold call, cornball, Cornwall, crown gall, cue ball, cure-all, curveball, deadfall, de Gaulle, dodgeball, downfall, downhaul, drywall, duck call, eight ball, enthrall, eyeball, fair ball, fastball, fireball, fire wall, foosball, football, footfall, footwall, forkball, foul ball, four-ball, fourth wall, free-fall, gadwall, game ball, glycol, golf ball, Goodall, goofball, googol, guildhall, hair ball, handball, hardball, headstall, heelball, highball, holdall, house call, icefall, infall, install, John Paul, jump ball, keelhaul, know-all, landfall, Landsmål, line-haul, line squall, lowball, Maillol, meatball, menthol, mess hall, miscall, mothball, Naipaul, naphthol, Nepal, nightfall, nutgall, oddball, outfall, outhaul, paintball, pinball, pitfall, plimsoll, pratfall, prayer shawl, pub crawl, puffball, punchball, pushball, rainfall, rainsquall, recall, rial, Riksmål, rockfall, roll call, rorqual, Saint Paul, save-all, screwball, seawall, short-haul, shortfall, sick call, sidewall, sleazeball, slimeball, snowball, snowfall, softball, sour ball, speedball, spitball, stickball, stonewall, stone wall, stoopball, strip mall, T-ball, tea ball, tell-all, three-ball, toll call, town hall, trackball, Tyrol, Udall, Walsall, what all, whip stall, Whitehall, whitewall, windfall, windgall, withal, you-all
FORESTALL Defined for Kids
forestall
verb fore·stall \fȯr-ˈstȯl\
fore·stalledfore·stall·ing
Definition of FORESTALL for Kids
: to keep out, interfere with, or prevent by steps taken in advance <forestalling problems>
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