foretell
verb (used with object)
to tell of beforehand; predict; prophesy.
foretold
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past participleof foretell.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof foretell.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
foretellverb (used with object)to tell of beforehand; predict; prophesy.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the Fed eased after a market rout, it was usually reacting to what the decline foretold.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
The extravagant and perhaps exaggerated promises of artificial superintelligence always foretold this outcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
An angel is thought to have foretold his birth to St Patrick, 30 years before it happened - although the exact date is believed to be some time between 462 and 515 AD.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
In his 1998 book “Paradise Lost,” Schrag sought not simply to foretell the region’s future, but to explicate how its future foretold what was in store for the country as a whole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
Her eyes grew huge with alarm like I was Madame Myrtle and had just foretold the actual future.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
