1
Trigger a sudden event
Cause something important to occur abruptly.
Example
The unexpected resignation precipitated an early election.
precipitate
/prɪˈsɪpɪteɪt/ · prih-SIP-ih-taytverb
To cause something to happen suddenly or sooner than expected.
Use precipitate when an event, decision, or condition triggers a rapid and often unintended development.
What precipitate Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Accelerate a crisis
Make a difficult situation develop sooner or more sharply.
Example
The bank's collapse precipitated a regional financial crisis.
3
Prompt decisive action
Create circumstances that lead quickly to a response.
Example
The new evidence precipitated a review of the safety rules.
Use precipitate Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The unexpected resignation precipitated an early election.
A prolonged drought precipitated the decline of several wetlands.
The discovery precipitated a complete reassessment of the theory.
Precision Matters
Precipitate overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
precipitate
vs.Emphasises that the result occurs suddenly or prematurely.
cause
Broadly means make something happen.
precipitate
vs.Often triggers a major event or crisis abruptly.
induce
Causes a response or condition, not necessarily suddenly.
precipitate
vs.Brings an event into being rapidly.
accelerate
Makes an existing process move faster.
precipitate
vs.Causes an event to occur.
prevent
Stops an event from occurring—the contrast.
Test precipitate in Context
The withdrawal caused the crisis to develop suddenly.
1
Historians argue that the sudden withdrawal of credit helped to ___ the commercial crisis, turning a manageable slowdown into an abrupt collapse.