forewarn

[ fawr-wawrn, fohr- ]

/ fɔrˈwɔrn, foʊr- /

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See synonyms for: forewarn / forewarned / forewarning on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to warn in advance.

OTHER WORDS FOR forewarn

caution, admonish, alert, prewarn, tip off.

See synonyms for forewarn on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of forewarn

First recorded in 1300–50, forewarn is from the Middle English word forwarnen.See fore-, warn

OTHER WORDS FROM forewarn

fore·warn·er, nounfore·warn·ing·ly, adverbun·fore·warned, adjectivewell-fore·warned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use forewarn in a sentence

And despite the long trail and ample forewarning about the problem, the president urged patience.
Obama Let the VA Scandal Become a Political Circus|Jacob Siegel|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sure you had some forewarning, especially after Rush Limbaugh guaranteed victory.
Paul Begala on the Five Stages of GOP Grief|Paul Begala|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It is a shock to a man to be wrenched, without forewarning, from the groove in which his life has been gliding for twenty years.
Grif|B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon
For in that day a sneeze was not merely 333 the little explosion of tickled surfaces or a forewarning of a slight cold.
The Cup of Fury|Rupert Hughes

He had not the slightest forewarning of the great 10 jolt that was soon to come to himself and his comrades out of the atmosphere.
The Motor Boat Club and The Wireless|H. Irving Hancock
I will not engage you without forewarning you of the terrible things you may have to encounter during the winter night.
A Book of Ghosts|Sabine Baring-Gould
Father Underhill felt quite guilty in not forewarning his wife of the conspiracy, but one evening she mistrusted.
A Little Girl in Old New York|Amanda Millie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for forewarn

forewarn

/ (fɔːˈwɔːn) /

verb

(tr) to warn beforehand

Derived forms of forewarn

forewarner, nounforewarningly, adverb

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

forewarn

OTHER WORDS FOR forewarn

Origin of forewarn

OTHER WORDS FROM forewarn

Words related to forewarn

How to use forewarn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forewarn

Derived forms of forewarn