foretell

American

[fawr-tel, fohr-] / fɔrˈtɛl, foʊr- /

verb (used with object)

foretold, foretelling

to tell of beforehand; predict; prophesy.

Synonyms:

forebode, presage, augur, forecast

foretell British

/ fɔːˈtɛl /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to tell or indicate (an event, a result, etc) beforehand; predict

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

foreteller noun
unforetold adjective

Etymology

Origin of foretell

First recorded in 1250–1300, foretell is from the Middle English word fortell. See fore-, tell ¹

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.

Social media is awash in content about the arcane: how-tos for spellcasting, psychics claiming to foretell the future and endless posts about casting out demons.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

It doesn’t foretell exogenous shocks, but many successful traders watch such measures of so-called market internals along with fundamentals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Perhaps it’s bear markets that foretell better times.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

Her name was Annie—“just Annie,” no surname—and she was “just an orphan,” a nobody, really, but she never let her impoverished origins foretell her fate.

From Slate • Aug. 17, 2024

“My son will not grow up spoiled,” Mrs. Sterling pronounced, as grandly as if she were the one in a fairy tale who got to foretell the future.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023