forestall (v.)

  1. 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

    [ Syn: prevent , foreclose , preclude , forbid ]

  2. act in advance of; deal with ahead of time

    [ Syn: anticipate , foresee , counter ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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