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:
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
That advantage existed because investors were willing to forego some interest income in return for the greater safety that U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
It’s remarkable how much future benefit people will forego for a little instant gratification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
“Alternatively, noncitizens may choose not to appear and instead to forego their opportunity to pursue their claims for asylum or other relief from removal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
Perhaps, I thought, I should forego the nonsense of rhyme.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
It’s how budget carriers like Consumer Cellular can pass cost savings on to their customers by foregoing large-scale infrastructure buildouts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
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
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
He was no doubt prepared for any emergency, ready for any one of uie foregoing attitudes, just as he bent himself easily and naturally to the situation which confronted him.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Game 1 illustrated that it’s more like a foregone conclusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Passage has gone from a foregone conclusion early in the year to a long shot, even though lawmakers hope to hold a committee vote in the next month.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
Andrew Gilruth, chief executive of the Moorland Association, which represents landowners in upland areas in England and Wales, claimed the government's backing for the project suggested the go-ahead was "already a foregone conclusion".
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
“I think endemicity is a foregone conclusion and measles will circulate at the level it did in the 1990s,” Adalja said.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2026
Jasper had foregone the last few meals, screwing his mouth shut and crossing his arms.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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
I earned them and forewent higher-paying attorney jobs in the private sector.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 24, 2010
S—— forewent for a moment his amber mouthpiece to give us his experience and opinion.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 61, No. 376, February, 1847 by Various
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.
