forestalled; forestalling; forestalls
1
: to exclude, hinder, or prevent (something) by prior occupation or measures
Negotiations failed to forestall the conflict.
2
: to get ahead of (something) : anticipate
detailed explanations intended to forestall questions
3
: to prevent the normal trading in (something) by buying or diverting goods or by persuading people to raise prices
… forestalling the wheat harvest and selling it at three times its cost …—
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw4
archaic
: intercept
… he sprang like a cat to the top of the cabin and ran aft. But his pursuers forestalling him, he doubled back across the cabin …—Jack London
Jack London
forestaller
noun
Synonyms
Examples of forestall in a Sentence
Negotiations failed to forestall the conflict.
His comments were meant to forestall criticism of his proposal.
He forestalled critics by offering a defense of the project.
Recent Examples on the Web
The question now is whether the post-Paris fabric of international climate cooperation is still resilient enough to forestall the irreversible symptoms of an overheating planet.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2024
If Trump loses the election in just a couple of weeks, some of the Constitutional Sheriffs are prepared to take drastic action and some see forestalling his defeat as their duty.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 24 Oct. 2024
Well, because there was an organization called True the Vote that did so, and they were not smacked down, but they were forestalled from being as aggressive.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
One such investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department, which threatened retroactive tariffs on solar imports of up to 250 percent, threw American solar buyers into turmoil, and in June 2022, President Joe Biden was forced to issue an executive order forestalling any tariffs for the next two years.
—Dan Wang, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for forestall 
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Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2024
If Trump loses the election in just a couple of weeks, some of the Constitutional Sheriffs are prepared to take drastic action and some see forestalling his defeat as their duty.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 24 Oct. 2024
Well, because there was an organization called True the Vote that did so, and they were not smacked down, but they were forestalled from being as aggressive.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
One such investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department, which threatened retroactive tariffs on solar imports of up to 250 percent, threw American solar buyers into turmoil, and in June 2022, President Joe Biden was forced to issue an executive order forestalling any tariffs for the next two years.
—Dan Wang, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for forestall
Dictionary Entries Near forestall
Cite this Entry
“Forestall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forestall. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
forestall
verb
fore·stall
fōr-ˈstȯl 
fȯr-
: to keep out, interfere with, or prevent by steps taken in advance
forestaller
noun
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