foresee

verb fore·see \ fȯr-ˈsē \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

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Examples: foresee in a Sentence

Definition of foresee

foresaw play \fȯr-ˈsȯ\; foreseen play \fȯr-ˈsēn\; foreseeing

transitive verb

: to see (something, such as a development) beforehand

He could not have foreseen the consequences of his actions.

She foresaw the company's potential and invested early on.

—

foreseer

play \fȯr-ˈsē-ər, -ˈsir\ noun

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See foresee defined for kids

Examples of foresee in a Sentence

We couldn't have foreseen the consequences of our actions.
He foresees a day when all war will cease.
She foresaw the company's potential and invested early on.

Recent Examples of foresee from the Web

By then, its manufacturing potential was easier to foresee.

— The Economist, "Donald Trump insists on trade reciprocity. But what kind?," 12 July 2018
It is foreseen to solve step 1 this week, while the timeline for step 2 has yet to be decided.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Microwaves across Europe are 6 minutes slow due to a Serbia-Kosovo grid dispute," 7 Mar. 2018
Beckham and his partners foresee the Miami Freedom Park complex generating $425 million a year in revenue.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "David Beckham, Jorge Mas encounter opposition in latest bid for Miami MLS stadium," 13 July 2018
Sometimes, currency traders foresee long-term changes that have yet to move domestic prices.

— The Economist, "Investors are gorging on American assets," 12 July 2018
That's because new HIV cases now flooding the area were foreseen as a consequence of the heroin epidemic.

— terry demio, Cincinnati.com, "Living with HIV: Fueled by heroin, HIV makes an alarming resurgence in Cincinnati," 11 July 2018
However, with numerous growing facilities under construction in Massachusetts, Hunt and other consultants actually foresee the opposite problem in the future: oversupply.

— dan adams, BostonGlobe.com, "The hidden, high-tech world of communications at Fenway Park," 10 July 2018
Many observers in both parties foresee a potential effort to undo the system after this election.

— ronald brownstein, CNN, "One of Trump's top California critics could help him hold the House," 29 May 2018
If United States sanctions take hold, experts foresee a reduction in Iranian exports of at least 200,000 and possibly up to a million barrels a day by next year.

— clifford krauss, New York Times, "Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela May Empower U.S. Rivals," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foresee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of foresee

before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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foresee Synonyms

Synonyms

anticipate, divine, foreknow, prevision;

envisage, envision, foreshadow, prefigure, visualize;

alert, caution, foretoken, forewarn;

preview;

descry, discern, perceive;

apprehend, dread, fear;

Synonym Discussion of foresee

foresee, foreknow, divine, anticipate mean to know beforehand. foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.