foreword
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See introduction.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The book, co-authored by Darren Grubb and Johnny Russo, featured a foreword by Letterman.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
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
But in the foreword to the draft childcare strategy, Givan said he had been "ambitious but realistic".
From BBC • Dec. 17, 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
Six years have passed since I received this initial request to prepare a new foreword for my father’s life story.
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.
