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

While his barrel rate improved by 5 percentage points, regression is expected; projections foresee a drop to 12-15 HR but leave room for upside, such as a hypothetical 20-40 season if his power gains and prior speed levels combine. —Derek Vanriper, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026

The data can’t foresee recessions or pandemics—or the arrival of a technology that might do to the workforce what an asteroid did to the dinosaurs. —Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026

That drop was always foreseen given how fan-front-loaded the movie was on its very low marketing cost. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026

Some foresee this leading to a sort of explosion in the intelligence of AI systems, while others caution that such iteration might work to increase capabilities in some domains — like software engineering — while AI systems will continue to struggle on cognitive or physical abilities. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026