foretell
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of foretell
First recorded in 1250–1300, foretell is from the Middle English word fortell. See fore-, tell 1
Explanation
To foretell is to predict or hint at something. Some people believe that two crows foretell good luck for the person who sees them. Signs and omens foretell good or bad fortune, and symbolism in the early chapters of a novel can foretell events that happen near the end of the book. Longtime sailors sometimes say that a pink morning sky foretells bad weather later in the day. In each case, something is being foreshadowed or forecast. Fore is an Old English prefix that means "before" or "earlier," and it's combined here with tell, "to reckon or consider."
Vocabulary lists containing foretell
Friday the 13th
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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"Briar Rose" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
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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.
It doesn’t foretell exogenous shocks, but many successful traders watch such measures of so-called market internals along with fundamentals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
Its flashing lights and internet connectivity foretell a future in which kids won’t rummage around in the toy box at all, opting instead for more and more screen time.
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026
Perhaps it’s bear markets that foretell better times.
From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025
In his 1998 book “Paradise Lost,” Schrag sought not simply to foretell the region’s future, but to explicate how its future foretold what was in store for the country as a whole.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
What if she was like one of those evil fairy godmothers in a fairy tale, about to foretell an innocent baby’s doom?
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
