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
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!
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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!
Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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.
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
Lemonis, a regular on Fox Business Network, said the decision to forego business in California wasn’t political, but rather a move to protect employees and customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported External link over the weekend that SpaceX would forego a Mars mission in 2026, focusing on the moon instead.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 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
Bessent has been known recently to keep Wall Street on its toes, foregoing the “regular and predictable” approach favored by his predecessors, wrote Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 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
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
According to Kady, who has gathered opinions in Cardiff Metropolitan University's gaming society, many people are foregoing social activities to afford new game purchases and subscriptions.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025
I’m working up with the foregoing to a physical description of myself.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Still, “a Chapter 11 filing is not a foregone conclusion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
But Miller’s refusal to bow out wasn’t a foregone conclusion, either.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
France are favourites to win the World Cup, but these sides would definitely believe they could be beaten – and let's not forget this tournament has already proved there are no foregone conclusions.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Game 1 illustrated that it’s more like a foregone conclusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
It was a foregone conclusion that Washington would be called out of retirement to head the force, but equally predictable that the aging general would delegate actual command to his former aide-de-camp.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
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
“Watchmen’s” Damon Lindelof, who won along with Cord Jefferson for writing for a limited series, also forewent the traditional award night tuxedo for a “Remember Tulsa ‘21” T-shirt and blazer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2020
Because of social distancing, the family forewent the normal rituals of grieving, including the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2020
The soldiers forgot their grudge against Lawrence for what they called his "uppish airs," and the soldiers' wives forewent their objections to Mrs. Lawrence and her aloofness from them, when the boy, Ronald, appeared.
From Betty at Fort Blizzard by Molly Elliot Seawell
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
