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

; forgoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

; forgoes

fȯr-ˈgōz

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

Pierre Lucotte, deputy CEO for Palantir France, said some federal agencies would rather forego necessary software than pay the company. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Next try Friday… Bad weather at Starbase forced SpaceX to forego a launch attempt on Thursday. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

Verb

Hafley has opted to forgo typical 7-on-7 drills during the first two days of training camp, instead having team drills take place in a more game-like 11-on-11 format. — CBS News, 30 July 2026

According to Jasmine, her father’s goal became the estate’s goal, to forgo their own stylistic preferences and provide a lens into the vineyard. — Patrick Comiskey, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 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