foresee

verb

fore·​see fȯr-ˈsē 

foresaw fȯr-ˈsȯ  ; foreseen 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

fȯr-ˈsē-ər 

-ˈsir

noun

Synonyms

• anticipate
• divine
• forefeel
• foreknow
• prevision

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

Strand foresees Prime Video similarly educating NASCAR fans, though not every bell and whistle will be unveiled this weekend. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025

Management foresees full-year EPS to be between $5.95 and $6.55, which is a slight decrease from $6.32 recorded the previous year, reflecting persistent competitive pressures. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

The company doesn’t foresee meaningful impact from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., said CoreWeave’s finance chief, Nitin Agrawal. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 14 May 2025

But many researchers foresee a more gradual transformation in line with seismic inventions of the past, like electricity or the internet. —Steve Lohr, New York Times, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foresee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

foresee

verb

fore·​see fōr-ˈsē 

fȯr-

foresaw -ˈsȯ  ; foreseen -ˈsēn  ; foreseeing

: to see or realize beforehand : expect

foreseeable

-ˈsē-ə-bəl

adjective

foreseer

-ˈsē-ər

noun

Legal Definition

foresee

transitive verb

fore·​see

foresaw; foreseen; foreseeing

: to be aware of the reasonable possibility of (as an occurrence or development) beforehand