forego
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of forego
before 900; Middle English forgon, forgan, Old English foregān. See fore-, go 1
Explanation
If you forego something, you choose to give it up. If you forego dessert after dinner, you are skipping dessert. The verb forego (also spelled forgo) literally means “to go by.” In common usage it means “to abstain” or “do without.” You might forego smoking cigarettes as a New Year’s resolution. Forego can also mean “to precede,” or “go before.” This verb is often seen in its past participle form, foregone, in the phrase “foregone conclusion,” meaning a predetermined conclusion.
Vocabulary lists containing forego
The Constitution of the United States
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Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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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.
See Examples For:
The best encounters with novels, Ms. Kanakia suggests, are those that forego line-by-line analysis or politically motivated allegory in favor of facing a reality that language can never fully contain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Some companies have pointed to the difficulty of complying with SEC rules as a reason to forego an IPO.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
To the state they cited frequent turnover in adjusters and demands to sign legal papers agreeing to forego future reimbursement for personal items without itemized receipts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Medical exemptions are also easier to police, since states can require licensed doctors to explain why each child has a legitimate need to forego vaccination.
From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025
But forego, which means “go before,” has an e, as do its cousins foregone and foregoing. forward.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
The bigger issue is that investors who stuck with staples, foregoing bigger gains in hopes they would provide a smoother ride, have been sorely mistaken.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
When I think of foregoing a baby for a comedy career, I think: What career?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
You are foregoing any increases in the stock market over the term of the annuity — but also hedging your bets against a severe downturn in the market.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 9, 2026
He agreed with Secretary Vance that to oppose it “would be foregoing an option that we could exercise in the event a peaceful solution is not in the offing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
The foregoing investigation into the nature of the idea of Texas is put down as a prelude to my journeying across Texas with Charley in Rocinante.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Adams made high-degree-of-difficulty catches look elementary, like foregone conclusions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
But Miller’s refusal to bow out wasn’t a foregone conclusion, either.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
In his telling, every meeting packs a punchline, conclusions are never foregone and suspense is rarely more than a page or two away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
If that makes the outcome seem like a foregone conclusion, it ain’t necessarily so, thanks to Labour’s laborious internal democratic process.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Due to the unseasonably warm weather, they’d foregone sleeping in tents—which gave her an unparalleled view of the capital.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025
While Hopkins and many of her generation forewent having children, she notes that women today show up for job interviews pregnant, take family leave and still get tenure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
The former Rainier Beach star played at Yakima Valley College after graduating high school, but forewent a Division I career due to eligibility concerns and eventually joined the G League.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 25, 2022
The antipasti here are a must: During my most recent lunch, I forewent the tempting array of crudi for a delicious plate of grilled octopus and artichoke.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2017
And thus the javelin's fault the hero tells, “Since joys supreme my sorrows first forewent, “Let me, O, Phocus! first those joys recount.
From The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II by J. J. Howard
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
