as in prefigures
to give a slight indication of beforehand
a series of small tremors that foreshadowed the massive earthquake the next day
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Recent Examples of foreshadows
Earlier poem-scrolls appear here, too, written in a style that foreshadows the graffiti Wong would come to love decades later.
—
Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
With almost three years left in his final term, Trump’s absence from CPAC foreshadows his eventual departure as leader of the GOP and the conservative movement, a role typically served by the president or the party’s leading contender for the White House.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr.
political, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
The book wonderfully foreshadows one of its best moments, but the film doesn’t do this at all, setting up the action with a few lines of dialog instead.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Zoom out across college athletics, and that resume foreshadows a divorce.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The move foreshadows a mandate on purchasing domestic AI silicon, according to a report from The Information.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The film smartly foreshadows what will befall Alma and Maggie and Hank.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
Mercury’s entrance to Capricorn foreshadows an important business conversation.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
It was shot in 2020, but the story foreshadows events that occurred during its release year (2021) in Guinea, Southeastern Nigeria, Myanmar, and Sudan.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
With almost three years left in his final term, Trump’s absence from CPAC foreshadows his eventual departure as leader of the GOP and the conservative movement, a role typically served by the president or the party’s leading contender for the White House.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr.
political, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
The book wonderfully foreshadows one of its best moments, but the film doesn’t do this at all, setting up the action with a few lines of dialog instead.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Zoom out across college athletics, and that resume foreshadows a divorce.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
The move foreshadows a mandate on purchasing domestic AI silicon, according to a report from The Information.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The film smartly foreshadows what will befall Alma and Maggie and Hank.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
Mercury’s entrance to Capricorn foreshadows an important business conversation.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
It was shot in 2020, but the story foreshadows events that occurred during its release year (2021) in Guinea, Southeastern Nigeria, Myanmar, and Sudan.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreshadows
Verb
-
The Kamm tail, with its upturned spoiler and flat panel adorned with Ferrari’s signature twin round taillights, is a nod to aerodynamics that prefigures the shape of the Lusso’s spiritual successor, the 275 GTB.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Tragedy strikes many times in this decades-spanning story, in many forms, but the defining event of Grainier’s life sees his home burned to the ground, an event that eerily prefigures the LA fires of early 2025.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If intelligence compounds as Nadella predicts, this time there will be a real first-mover advantage that didn’t exist in the internet era.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
Chasing atomic limits To overcome that challenge, the KAIST team relied on first-principles calculations, a computational approach that predicts material behavior using the laws of physics rather than experimental data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, that quote and Ruth’s attitude also implies that nothing can be done to extinguish the fire in the perpetually burning building.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
As the original name implies, its initial mission was producing shows for NBCU’s cable channels, primarily USA and Syfy.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The project heralds from Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions, in association with Brookwell McNamara Entertainment.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
-
This shift in economic ties heralds a much larger, global shift in the way these countries are financed, developed and employed.—
Alex Daruty,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
By daybreak melatonin levels are already declining in most of us, as the body clock anticipates the day to come, but the first splash of light in the eyes helps hasten the process and keep us in sync with the sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
The city anticipates that the permanent facility will be constructed in the next four years.—
Dylan Lysen
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreshadows. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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