foreshadow
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of foreshadow
Explanation
To foreshadow is to predict something or to give a hint of what is to come. Your kid sister's ability to take apart a toaster and put it back together might foreshadow a successful career in electronics. The verb foreshadow can mean "to warn" and often has a suggestion of something bad to come, though sometimes it's more neutral or shows examples of both good and bad predictions. Dark gray clouds foreshadow a thunderstorm, just as spring showers foreshadow May flowers. What is foreshadowed doesn't always happen, though. A story might not foreshadow a happily-ever-after ending, but it can take an unexpected twist where the villain turns out to be a hero.
Vocabulary lists containing foreshadow
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Foreshadow of this decline in earnings was the sale last week of a New York Stock Exchange seat for $350,000, $144,000 under the price paid for the last seat sold.
From Time Magazine Archive
The bannered host—the darkened skies— The thunderings all about, Foreshadow but a Nation's birth, Answering a Nation's shout!
From The Continental Monthly , Vol. 2 No. 5, November 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
Noble indeed, I can call them with you: the highly noble Foreshadow, necessary preface and accompaniment of Actions which are still nobler.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 18 by Carlyle, Thomas
Foreshadow, fōr-shad′ō, v.t. to shadow or typify beforehand.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Sunsets and dawns, mirage, the sea, Foreshadow Nature's fixed decree, While steady rolls the round of seasons,— The soul foreknows its eternity.
From Song-waves by Rand, Theodore H. (Theodore Harding)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
