foregone conclusion
Americannoun
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an inevitable conclusion or result.
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a conclusion, opinion, or decision formed in advance of proper consideration of evidence, arguments, etc.
noun
Etymology
Origin of foregone conclusion
First recorded in 1595–1605
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.
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
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
“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
California currently has the highest average gasoline price at $5.14, but the $6 price level as an average for the state is not a foregone conclusion just yet, De Haan said.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026
I hardly had time to think about my own answer—why, it was taken to be a foregone conclusion.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
