Synonyms of foresee

foresee

verb

fȯr-ˈsē 

as in to anticipate

to realize or know about beforehand

a freak accident that no one could possibly have foreseen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• anticipate
• predict
• divine
• fear
• envision
• foreknow
• foretell
• envisage
• prevision
• presage
• forecast
• visualize
• perceive
• prognosticate
• foreshadow
• prophesy
• forefeel
• prefigure
• dread
• forewarn
• augur
• alert
• caution
• discern
• preview
• apprehend
• foretoken
• descry

Synonym Chooser

How is the word foresee different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of foresee are anticipate, divine, and foreknow. While all these words 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

When could anticipate be used to replace foresee?

Although the words anticipate and foresee have much in common, anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

How are the words divine and foresee related?

Divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

When is it sensible to use foreknow instead of foresee?

The synonyms foreknow and foresee are sometimes interchangeable, but foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of foresee

Despite the dip in sales, Betancur does not foresee Manolo’s Bakery closing, however. —Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2025

Other types of providers, including community mental health centers and safety net clinics in Colorado, also expect to cut services or close locations, though groups representing the clinics don’t foresee providers going under entirely. —Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 22 June 2025

The Yankees’ brutal offensive malaise stretched past a point anybody could have foreseen with a 1-0, 11-inning loss Monday night. —Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 17 June 2025

But the group’s mentor never foresaw her protégé falling for a bad boy like Juni, who’s got a couple secrets up his sleeve as well. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 21 June 2025