forego

1 of 2

verb (1)

fore·​go fȯr-ˈgō How to pronounce forego (audio)
forewent fȯr-ˈwent How to pronounce forego (audio) ; foregone fȯr-ˈgȯn How to pronounce forego (audio)
 also  -ˈgän
; foregoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ How to pronounce forego (audio)
-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

transitive verb

: to go before : precede
The story of his mishap forewent him.
foregoer 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 profitR. L. Stevenson
decided to forgo dessert for a few days
2
archaic : forsake

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
Looking to join the emerging group of wealthy individuals who are foregoing the hassle of home ownership in favor of leasing? Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2024 Enter Powers as David, leader of the rebellious community known as The Smoke, who forego the surgery and choose to live outside the city by simpler means. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2024 That'll set you back, but hopefully not enough to forego them entirely. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 26 June 2024 As an illustration, investors who sold out of the market in September 2010 would have foregone a 9% return that month — the best monthly performer that year, according to Morningstar. Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for forego 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forego.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forego was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near forego

Cite this Entry

“Forego.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forego. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

forego

1 of 2 verb
fore·​go fōr-ˈgō How to pronounce forego (audio)
fȯr-
forewent
-ˈwent
; foregone -ˈgȯn How to pronounce forego (audio)
 also  -ˈgän
; foregoing -ˈgō-iŋ How to pronounce forego (audio)
: to go before : precede
foregoer noun

forego

2 of 2

variant of forgo

More from Merriam-Webster on forego

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