forestall
/fɔ:ˈstɔ:l; fɔr`stɔl/ v[Tn]
act before (sb else) so as to prevent him from doing sth 抢在（别人）之前行动
forestall a competitor, a rival, etc 抢在竞争者、 对手之前行动
I had my objection all prepared, but Stephens forestalled me. 我已做好准备要提出反对意见, 不料斯蒂芬斯却抢先了一步.