Translation guide
To prevent something from happening or to act before someone else does. Japanese expresses this through verbs of prevention, preemption, and anticipation.
To stop an event or action before it occurs, often by taking measures in advance.
General verb for preventing something undesirable. Often used with nouns like (accident) or (recurrence).
We strengthened safety measures to forestall accidents.
Literally 'prevent before it happens'. Emphasizes stopping something in advance.
It's important to forestall problems before they arise.
To obstruct or block an action, often used in formal or news contexts.
They forestalled the terrorist plot.
To prevent, especially in medical or health contexts (e.g., disease prevention).
I got vaccinated to forestall the flu.
To take action ahead of another person, often to gain an advantage or prevent their action.
Idiom meaning 'to take the initiative' or 'to beat someone to the punch'. Implies acting first to forestall an opponent's move.
We launched the new product to forestall our competitors.
To outmaneuver or steal a march on someone, often with a nuance of cunning.
To foresee a question, objection, or need and address it before it is raised.
There is no single Japanese verb that covers all uses of 'forestall'. Choose the expression based on whether you mean prevention, preemption, or anticipation.
He forestalled me and got the contract.
Literary phrase meaning 'to forestall someone's move' or 'to take the wind out of someone's sails'.
We forestalled the enemy's attack.
We developed the product to forestall market needs.