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.
When it comes to romantic comedies, it’s not where it’s going — that’s a foregone conclusion — but how it gets there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But Miller’s refusal to bow out wasn’t a foregone conclusion, either.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 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
What we know now—that the ground phase of the Gulf War proved a 100-hour testament to American martial prowess—was no foregone conclusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
He pushed off the branch and kept moving, as if our following was a foregone conclusion.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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.
