foreword
Americannoun
noun
Related Words
See introduction.
Etymology
Origin of foreword
Explanation
Many students tend to skip the foreword at the beginning of a long novel, or go back and read it later. Use the noun foreword for an introduction that comes at the start of a book. A foreword is usually written by someone other than the author and it gives information about the critical reception of the book, personal history of the author, or some other extra detail of interest to the reader. The word foreword combines fore, "before, or first" and word, and it's closely connected to the German word for "preface," Vorwort.
Vocabulary lists containing foreword
Power Prefix: fore-
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Book Words for Book Worms
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: fore-
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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.
As noted in its foreword, the Reference Manual provides a dispassionate guide for judges who may need help understanding the background science in cases where science and law intersect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
The foreword has been penned by Jan Messent, a renowned authority on embroidery.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
In a foreword to the WFP's 2026 Global Outlook report, she said the world's response "remains slow, fragmented and underfunded".
From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025
With a foreword by Alexis Pauline Gumbs and an afterword by Imani Perry, the editors of this carefully curated collection weave a mosaic of narratives from those who studied with and were mentored by Jordan.
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2025
My godfather, Alex Haley, bequeathed me the opportunity to write this foreword to my father’s autobiography.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
