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
-
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:
Social media is awash in content about the arcane: how-tos for spellcasting, psychics claiming to foretell the future and endless posts about casting out demons.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026
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
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
“Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Although I’ve consistently argued that long-term investors should keep most of their money in stocks, you can’t just look at the past and pretend that it precisely foretells the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
This foretells of a world where hydrocarbons are substituted by other energy sources.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 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
The reality makeover competition foretold the era we live in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
And what the ill-fated project foretold about today’s entertainment culture is almost as cringey as watching Simpson try to rebuild his brand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
Some claim that the stock market’s full-year direction is foretold by its performance on the first trading day of January; others focus on the first two days, and still others on the first week.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 2, 2026
“I must say,” the bard remarked, “you foretold it exactly.”
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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
That marvelous lighted scene, foretelling the end of Europe’s deadliest period, has stayed with me all these years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Critics have heaped praise on the new comedy series from Detectorists creator Mackenzie Crook, which follows a man who creates tiny creatures capable of foretelling the future and answering any question.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
A foretelling of last earthly smells, whether for the hunted or the hunter.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025
“You want to watch us foretelling, then, perhaps. Or have you a question of your own?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
