Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

precipitate

verbHigh-frequency wordMore P words

to cause something to happen suddenly or prematurely

Word origin: From Latin praecipitare, to throw headlong, from praeceps, headlong.

Start a free GRE mock test 39 minutes · free · instant score
In a sentence

Precipitate in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing precipitate in a sentence.

The assassination precipitated a war that no one had wanted.

The minister's resignation precipitated a wider crisis within the cabinet.

Synonyms
triggerhastenprovokeinstigate
Antonyms
delayhinderimpede

Quick GRE check

Question 1 of 3

3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?

Verbal · Text Completion

The committee's report was praised for its candor, yet its central recommendation was so blank that administrators could cite it to justify nearly any policy they had already resolved to pursue.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “precipitate” well

As a verb, precipitate means to bring something on suddenly. Beware its other forms: the adjective means rash, and in chemistry it means to separate out a solid.

Common questions

Questions about “precipitate”

Precipitate (verb) means to cause something to happen suddenly or prematurely
Here is precipitate used in an example sentence: "The assassination precipitated a war that no one had wanted." Another example: "The minister's resignation precipitated a wider crisis within the cabinet."
Common synonyms for precipitate include trigger, hasten, provoke, instigate.
Antonyms of precipitate include delay, hinder, impede.
On the GRE, precipitate clusters with trigger, hasten, provoke, and instigate, opposing delay, hinder, and impede.
Yes. Precipitate is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.