Definition of "precipitate" []

• To throw from or as if from a great height; hurl downward: "The finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below” ( Thornton Wilder). (verb-transitive)
• To cause to happen, especially suddenly or prematurely. See Synonyms at speed. (verb-transitive)
• Meteorology To cause (water vapor) to condense and fall from the air as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. (verb-transitive)
• Chemistry To cause (a solid substance) to be separated from a solution. (verb-transitive)
• Meteorology To condense and fall from the air as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word precipitate has appeared in 46 New York Times articles in the past year, including on July 25 in the City Room blog post What Migraine?"
• "Learn more about the word "precipitate" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary.com dictionary."
• "Unlikely to have randomly slaughtered 20,000 citizens, run the economy into the ground, and indulged in precipitate invasions and international terrorist operations."