Synonyms

foresee

American

[fawr-see] / fɔrˈsi /

verb (used with object)

to have prescience of; to know in advance; foreknow.

Synonyms:

discern, divine
to see beforehand.

verb (used without object)

to exercise foresight.

foresee British

/ fɔːˈsiː /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to see or know beforehand

he did not foresee that

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does foresee mean? To foresee is to know in advance, as in With all the rain we’ve been having, it was easy to foresee that the river would overflow its banks. Foresee is different from predict or forecast because to foresee is to know, while to predict or forecast is to guess or calculate rather than to know. Sometimes, though, foresee is used as a synonym for predict to exaggerate one’s confidence in a prediction. Example: I can foresee where this is going and I want no part of it.

Synonym Usage

See predict.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of foresee

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English foresēon. See fore-, see ¹

Explanation

When you foresee something, you predict or realistically envision it happening. Did you foresee your team winning the playoffs, or were you surprised? Think of foresee as “to see before.” Prophets in literature are able to foresee events that come to pass; in Greek mythology Tiresias is known for his ability to foresee the future. But foresee is not always linked to a supernatural sense. Regular people can foresee events by imagining them taking place — and sometimes we use this as a way of prevention. If you foresee yourself failing geometry if you don’t study more, you will probably hit the books.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing foresee

Power Prefix: fore-

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!

Walk Two Moons

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!

100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"

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.

This is going to be painful in ways that you can’t foresee, but if you remain adaptable and empathetic, you could be embarking on an illuminating chapter of your life.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026

"What we did not foresee is that this project would end up being his last major commission," he added.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

But AI experts foresee surging capabilities and are worried.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Tesla and ARK Invest foresee a winner-take-all robo-taxi market, while others expect it to be a feature with lower profits.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

But who can foresee and control this action?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023