forego

1 of 2

verb (1)

fore·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

forewent fȯr-ˈwent  ; foregone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

; foregoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

; foregoes fȯr-ˈgōz 

transitive verb

: to go before : precede

The story of his mishap forewent him.

foregoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

forego

2 of 2

verb (2)

fore·​go

less common spelling of forgo

transitive verb

1

: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without

… never forwent an opportunity of honest profit …

—Robert Louis Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days …

2

archaic : forsake

Synonyms of forego

Verb (1)

• precede

Examples of forego in a Sentence

Verb (1)

if the sparse crowds are any indication of the public's interest in the presidential candidate, then his reputation obviously foregoes him

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Bulls coach Tiago Splitter wanted to let his team play free in the clutch, opting to forego a timeout to draw up a play when Giddey secured a rebound with 24 seconds left and the Bulls trailing by only three points. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

Warsh denied that consumers would lose faith in the Fed’s ability to get inflation back to its 2% target, given its decision to forego a rate hike. — Christopher Rugaber`, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Given the length of the series, the Dodgers will forego that strategy and likely look to add a reliever who can throw bulk innings. — Katie Woo, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026

If there were ever a time to forego a buzzy cocktail bar, this was it. — Callie Thorpe, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forego

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

forego

1 of 2 verb

fore·​go fōr-ˈgō 

fȯr-

forewent

-ˈwent

; foregone -ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

; foregoing -ˈgō-iŋ 

: to go before : precede

foregoer

-ˈgō(-ə)r 

noun

forego

2 of 2

variant of forgo