verb

precipitar

rush · hasten

Hacer que algo ocurra antes de tiempo o de forma rápida y sin pensar bien; también, caer de golpe desde un lugar alto.

Definition & meaning

Precipitar is a Spanish verb with several related meanings:

To cause something or someone to fall or plunge
- It can describe forcing or causing a fall, especially into a deep or dangerous place.
- Example: El golpe precipitó el coche al barranco — “The impact sent the car plunging into the ravine.”
To hasten, accelerate, or bring about prematurely
- It often suggests that an event happens too quickly or before the appropriate time.
- Example: La decisión precipitó la crisis — “The decision hastened or triggered the crisis.”
To rush or act hastily, usually in its pronominal form precipitarse
- This means to act without sufficient thought or to hurry into something.
- Example: No te precipites — “Don’t rush” or “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
To precipitate, in chemistry or meteorology
- In scientific contexts, it can mean for a substance to separate from a solution as a solid, or for water to fall from the atmosphere.
- Example: El compuesto precipitó — “The compound precipitated.”

Grammar & Word origin

Precipitar is a regular -ar verb.

Present: precipito , precipitas , precipita
Preterite: precipité , precipitó
Past participle: precipitado
Gerund: precipitando

It may be used:

Transitively, when someone or something causes another thing to fall or an event to occur prematurely: precipitar una decisión
Pronominally, as precipitarse , meaning “to rush,” “to plunge,” or “to hasten into something”
Intransitively, especially in scientific or meteorological contexts: la lluvia precipitó

The verb comes from Latin praecipitāre, “to throw headfirst” or “to cause to fall,” derived from praeceps, meaning “headfirst,” “steep,” or “precipitous.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

Acelerar — “to accelerate”; more neutral and commonly refers to increasing speed.
Apresurar — “to hurry” or “to hasten”; often focuses on making a person or process go faster.
Anticipar — “to bring forward” or “to anticipate”; does not necessarily imply carelessness.
Desencadenar — “to trigger” or “to unleash”; emphasizes causing an event, especially a major or negative one.
Arrojar — “to throw” or “to cast”; closer to the literal physical sense of causing something to fall.
Lanzarse — “to throw oneself into” or “to plunge”; similar to the pronominal sense, but often suggests deliberate enthusiasm rather than haste.

Antonyms

Retrasar — “to delay”; the clearest opposite when precipitar means to make something happen sooner.
Ralentizar — “to slow down”; opposite of accelerating a process.
Frenar — “to stop,” “restrain,” or “put the brakes on”; emphasizes actively preventing progress.
Esperar — “to wait”; contrasts with acting or deciding hastily.
Calmarse — “to calm down”; a useful opposite of precipitarse when it means rushing emotionally or impulsively.

Common phrases & collocations

Precipitar los acontecimientos — to hasten or bring events about prematurely
Precipitar una crisis — to trigger or hasten a crisis
Precipitar una decisión — to rush a decision
Precipitarse al vacío — to plunge into the void
Precipitarse en conclusiones — to jump to conclusions
No precipitarse — not to rush or act hastily