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

In 2016, Henry foresaw Alan Thicke having health issues months before Thicke died. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026

Trump did not foresee the California Democratic voters matching Texas with the elimination of five House Republican seats and culminating last Tuesday with Virginia voters removing four Republican seats for four Democratic seats. —Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

The storms are foreseen to bring wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail (1 inch). —Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026

But their twin ascents could not have been foreseen based on fair-to-middlin’ careers with the Bay Area schools. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026