foresee

verb

fore·see | \ fȯr-ˈsē

foresaw\ fȯr-ˈsȯ

\; foreseen\ fȯr-ˈsēn

\; foreseeing

Definition of foresee

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.

Other Words from foresee Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about foresee

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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. economists should have foreseen the recession foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation. if only we could foreknow our own destinies divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment. was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens. the waiter anticipated our every need

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 on the Web

But claiming owners can’t foresee labor problems disrupting a 2020 Seattle launch defies credulity. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "It’s in nobody’s interests to delay the NHL to Seattle beyond 2020, so let’s give them no reason to," 8 Oct. 2018 But no plan can foresee all the ways that a utility might screw up, says Tom Long, legal director of the consumer advocacy group the Utility Reform Network (TURN). — Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, "Big utilities are desperately trying to stick customers for the bills from California wildfires," 4 May 2018 Ultimately the Fed raised rates only twice by the end of 2016, rather than the five times widely foreseen in mid-2015. — The Economist, "Rate rises affect global markets—and may feed back to America," 14 June 2018 In the wake of the 2016 attacks, foreseeing that volumetric assaults would likely continue to grow, defenders seriously expanded their available capacity. — Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, "How Creative DDOS Attacks Still Slip Past Defenses," 12 Mar. 2018 Could the Air Force not foresee the possibility of having to evacuate the base and being forced to protect grounded jets from a hurricane? — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "More Than a Dozen F-22s May Have Been Damaged or Destroyed by Hurricane Michael," 15 Oct. 2018 Half the economists surveyed last month by the National Association of Business Economics foresee a recession starting in late 2019 or in early 2020, and two-thirds are predicting a slump by the end of 2020. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "The economy is humming. So why do experts foresee a recession in 2020?," 11 June 2018 This seems like a problem for any large organization — something that longtime business executive Donald Trump might have some experience with, and might even have been able to foresee as an issue. — Dara Lind, Vox, "There is always a Trump tweet, chiefs of staff edition," 8 Dec. 2018 To be fair, these are all mistakes that Tumblr appears to have foreseen. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "Tumblr is already flagging innocent posts as porn," 3 Dec. 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.