as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in predicting
to give a slight indication of beforehand
a series of small tremors that foreshadowed the massive earthquake the next day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foreshadowing
Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
That report speaks to inflation being a legitimate issue and could be foreshadowing a hotter CPI number.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Noun
That weakness could be a foreshadowing of the inflation to come.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Verb
Moreover, the film is also a vision of a time pregnant with radical change, with Michèle’s dramatic leap off course foreshadowing the imminent crisis of the Francosphere.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
That report speaks to inflation being a legitimate issue and could be foreshadowing a hotter CPI number.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreshadowing
Noun
-
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, was not available for comment on Wednesday.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Going deeper The two startups, Kalshi and Polymarket, generated huge buzz by accurately predicting the 2024 election results.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
What is the Old Farmer's Almanac predicting for Wisconsin's fall 2025 weather forecast?—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
However, there are no such hints for players in Season 3, who are sorted into teams at the beginning of their time in Borderland and told where to go for the next match.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Le Monde Gourmand's warm yet spicy scent, with hints of nutmeg, sandalwood and musk, is the perfect aroma for sweater weather.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The car was a precursor to the Testarossa and one of 1,007 made.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Certification is a necessary precursor for allowing a vehicle to approach the orbiting laboratory.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The firm, which has an overweight rating on the semiconductor manufacturer, increased its price target to $220 from $185, implying more than 32% upside from Wednesday's closing price.—
Sean Conlon,Pia Singh,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
-
In population data, decaf and caffeinated coffee both track with lower liver risk, implying compounds beyond caffeine contribute.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Keane, though, sees nothing but disaster ahead, a portent presaged by some of the film’s most enduring images, like a stretch limo with a flat tire and a steam room littered with empty champagne bottles.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As portents go, after a testing summer for Newcastle, this did not look altogether positive.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Was her prediction a bit of bluster?—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The brokerage provides the ability to trade prediction-market contracts in the US through partnerships with Kalshi and ForecastEx, which are regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another patron, anticipating his wife’s arrival, brought a couple of bottles of wine in a paper bag and handed them to the bar’s front man, Tracy Westmoreland, who looked unfazed.—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The 29-year-old father, who was anticipating the birth of a baby girl, spent four days at the Duval County Jail before being extradited to Polk County.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreshadowing. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share