Forestall

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /fɔː(ɹ)ˈstɔːl/

Definitions

1. To prevent or obstruct something by taking action ahead of time
2. To intervene early in order to obstruct or hinder an impending event or situation
3. To act in advance to stop something from happening or to hinder its progress

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "forestall" is that its earliest sense was physical and legal rather than a matter of foresight. In Old English, "foresteall" meant an ambush or an intercepting of someone on the road, and it also named the fine paid for the offence of waylaying travellers on the highway. Its sense of hindering justice or offering resistance shows how closely it was tied to disrupting people's movements and dealings. The word is built from "fore-", meaning "ahead of" or "before", and "stall", which in this context means a position or place, so the literal picture is of getting into position ahead of someone. Middle English then carried it forward as "forestallen", meaning to intercept, ambush or waylay, before the sense of acting in advance to block something gradually took over.

Synonyms: prevent, avert, intercept, hinder, preclude

Antonyms: allow, permit, facilitate, enable, encourage