foregone

American  

[fawr-gawn, -gon, fawr-gawn, -gon] / fɔrˈgɔn, -ˈgɒn, ˈfɔrˌgɔn, -ˌgɒn /

adjective

1. that has gone before; previous; past.

2. determined in advance; inevitable.

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foregone British  

/ ˈfɔːˌɡɒn, fɔːˈɡɒn /

adjective

1. gone or completed; past

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Other Word Forms

• foregoneness
  noun
• unforegone
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of foregone

First recorded in 1590–1600; fore- + gone

Example Sentences

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the ’70s and ’80s, it was a foregone conclusion I’d get married one day and have a family.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 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

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

“It’s a bounce back from the extreme selloff we saw in software based on a foregone conclusion that AI would be the end of software,” said David Miller, chief investment officer for Catalyst Mutual Funds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

The Revolution in this romantic rendering became one magical moment of inspiration, leading inexorably to the foregone conclusion of American independence.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis