foresight
Americannoun
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care or provision for the future; provident care; prudence.
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the act or power of foreseeing; prevision; prescience.
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an act of looking forward.
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knowledge or insight gained by or as by looking forward; a view of the future.
- Synonyms:
- foreknowledge
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Surveying.
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a sight or reading taken on a forward point.
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(in leveling) a rod reading on a point the elevation of which is to be determined.
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noun
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provision for or insight into future problems, needs, etc
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the act or ability of foreseeing
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the act of looking forward
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surveying a reading taken looking forwards to a new station, esp in levelling from a point of known elevation to a point the elevation of which is to be determined Compare backsight
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the front sight on a firearm
Related Words
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of foresight
First recorded in 1250–1300, foresight is from the Middle English word forsight. See fore-, sight
Explanation
Use the noun foresight to describe successful planning for the future. When it starts raining hard during your long walk to school, you'll wish you had the foresight to bring an umbrella. The word foresight is made of two parts: fore, which means "before," and sight, which means "to perceive." People often perceive things with their eyes: this is vision, or sight. But vision can also describe what someone thinks will happen in the future — and foresight is planning for things before they happen.
Vocabulary lists containing foresight
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Power Prefix: fore-
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 4
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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.
"You can basically call the current situation 'the reverse joint venture'," said Zhang Yu, managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
As the country’s first female leader, many voters, especially women, are willing her to succeed, said Tobias Harris, founder of consulting firm Japan Foresight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
“Disney can ill afford another messy handover,” said media analyst Paulo Pescatore, of research firm PP Foresight.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026
"In time, expect the SIM tray to disappear altogether," said Paolo Pescatore, a technology analyst at PP Foresight.
From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025
Around this time, he startled me by taking every penny he’d saved—about $1,300—and signing up for the 1999 Foresight Gathering, a weekend nanotechnology conference in San Jose, California, the capital of Silicon Valley.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
