foretell
Americanverb (used with object)
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foretells,
present (3rd person singular)
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foretold,
past participle, past
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foretelling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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foretellsimple
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foretellssimple
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have foretoldperfect
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has foretoldperfect
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am foretellingprogressive
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are foretellingprogressive
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is foretellingprogressive
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have been foretellingperfect progressive
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has been foretellingperfect progressive
Past
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foretoldsimple
-
had foretoldperfect
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was foretellingprogressive
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were foretellingprogressive
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had been foretellingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
With so many unknowns, nobody can possibly foretell which businesses will thrive in the years ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 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
Her name was Annie—“just Annie,” no surname—and she was “just an orphan,” a nobody, really, but she never let her impoverished origins foretell her fate.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2024
“It forgot,” Resch said, rising to his feet, “that this is my job. I can almost foretell what an android is going to do, I suppose you can, too.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
This foretells of a world where hydrocarbons are substituted by other energy sources.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
The “Skyscraper Index” foretells tough times for a city or country that’s just built the world’s tallest one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
If the coming days are anything like those of past years, analysts will try to make the case that the stock market’s performance at the beginning of January foretells its full-year direction.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 2, 2026
Montiel takes a while to tip his hand that he’s after something more emotionally complex than the first act foretells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
Mother warns how we act today foretells the whole year.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
When the Fed eased after a market rout, it was usually reacting to what the decline foretold.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Nothing of that great regional upheaval greedily foretold by the prophets of Western decline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Little is known about the saint who, according to legend, was born on a clifftop in Pembrokeshire during a violent storm, after angels foretold his birth to St Patrick 30 years prior.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
A philosopher, historian, songbird of grief and prophet, Didion foretold the city’s future with startling accuracy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Yet maybe at last the time foretold has come, and Aragorn may pass.’
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
England are due to make it to the semi-finals, with Portugal poised to knock them out two decades after they did in 2006 - though the model stops short of foretelling 'penalties, again'.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
In the dark recesses of the U.S. economy, price pressures are bubbling up and foretelling another wave of inflation.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
In the dark recesses of the economy, price pressures are bubbling up and foretelling another wave of inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
A foretelling of last earthly smells, whether for the hunted or the hunter.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025
“By your own foretelling this world will change, and within five years.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
