foresight

American  

[fawr-sahyt, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌsaɪt, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

foresights plural

1. care or provision for the future; provident care; prudence.

2. the act or power of foreseeing; prevision; prescience.

3. an act of looking forward.

4. knowledge or insight gained by or as by looking forward; a view of the future.

   Synonyms:

   foreknowledge

5. Surveying.

   1. a sight or reading taken on a forward point.

   2. (in leveling) a rod reading on a point the elevation of which is to be determined.

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foresight British  

/ ˈfɔːˌsaɪt /

noun

1. provision for or insight into future problems, needs, etc

2. the act or ability of foreseeing

3. the act of looking forward

4. surveying a reading taken looking forwards to a new station, esp in levelling from a point of known elevation to a point the elevation of which is to be determined Compare backsight

5. the front sight on a firearm

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Synonym Usage

See prudence.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• foresightedness
  noun
• foresighted
  adjective
• foresightful
  adjective
• foresightedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• foresights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of foresight

First recorded in 1250–1300, foresight is from the Middle English word forsight. See fore-, sight

Explanation

Use the noun foresight to describe successful planning for the future. When it starts raining hard during your long walk to school, you'll wish you had the foresight to bring an umbrella. The word foresight is made of two parts: fore, which means "before," and sight, which means "to perceive." People often perceive things with their eyes: this is vision, or sight. But vision can also describe what someone thinks will happen in the future — and foresight is planning for things before they happen.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foresight foresights

Now, there’s a question of hindsight versus foresight.

From Slate ● May 5, 2026

Davos may still offer comfort, but Munich offers foresight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

This may yet be a brilliant piece of foresight by the FA to keep one of the best, most single-minded, successful coaches in world football.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026

In an unusual bit of foresight, Congress understood as far back as 1999 that banking organizations needed expanded powers and, most importantly, expanded technology powers if they were to compete with nonbanks.

From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025

Thank goodness, I had the foresight to belt myself in.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Most of my work deals with the next 5 years, and it’s more about pretty obvious foresights rather than ‘predictions’.

From Forbes ● Jul. 8, 2014

It was, perhaps, one of those strange mental foresights, peculiar to certain temperaments, whereby the individual is sometimes warned of impending danger, and feels oppressed by a weight of despondency impossible to shake off.

From Ella Barnwell A Historical Romance of Border Life by Bennett, Emerson

He dressed and breakfasted with all the petty foresights that can mean the shaving of clearance in a tight squeeze, and got off with all the margin of time he could muster.

From A Matter of Proportion by Walker, Anne

I might take him, and a level along, and go over the foresights and backsights myself.

From The Young Engineers in Colorado Or, At Railwood Building in Earnest by Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)

"You can't seem to account for them foresights," continued Mr. Teaby, putting down his tall, thin valise and letting the empty top of it fold over.

From Strangers and Wayfarers by Jewett, Sarah Orne

Related Words

• insight
• prudence