forego

1 of 4

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 4

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

forgo

3 of 4

verb (3)

for·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

variants or less commonly forego

forwent fȯr-ˈwent  ; forgone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

also foregone; forgoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

also foregoing; forgoes

fȯr-ˈgōz

also foregoes

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

forgoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

foregoer

4 of 4

noun

fore·​go·​er -ˈgōə(r) 

: one that goes before: such as

a

obsolete : a messenger sent ahead (as a king's purveyor) : forerunner

b

: one that leads or goes in the van : example

c

: predecessor, ancestor

d

: the foreganger of a harpoon

Synonyms of forego

Verb (1)

• precede

Verb (3)

• avoid

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

Verb (3)

She is planning to forgo her right to a trial and simply plead guilty.

I'll forgo dessert tonight—I'm trying to lose weight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

East Middle School will forego its student government indefinitely. — Eli Grober, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026

Those will be decided by a judge, as McCollister opted to forego a jury trial, according to WXIX-TV. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

As Central America faces the possibility of severe drought, food insecurity, and high costs for fuel and fertilizer, regional governments will likely have to suspend fuel taxes (and forgo substantial revenues) to head off protests. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

As with the arena fee waivers, some of the amount includes fees the city would forgo, Kniestedt said, while some would involve transferring money from its general fund to other city accounts. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (3)

Middle English, from Old English forgān to pass by, forgo, from for- + gān to go

Noun

Middle English forgoer, foregoer, from forgon + -er

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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