: to see (something, such as a development) beforehand
He could not have foreseen the consequences of his actions.
She foresaw the company's potential and invested early on.
Examples of foresee in a Sentence
We couldn't have foreseen the consequences of our actions.
He foresees a day when all war will cease.
She foresaw the company's potential and invested early on.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fittingly, the different parties foresee different chaos scenarios.
—
Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
But most experts foresee job gains continuing to slow over the course of the year amid steady economic growth.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Among many goals Borko foresees for his future, personal objectives are just as important as business ones.
—Kyle Russell, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
As a result, central bank officials expect interest rates to come down more slowly in 2025 than previously foreseen, and only narrowly maintained their outlook for three quarter-point cuts this year.
—Joe Rennison, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
But his death became a political football whose uses were difficult to foresee at the time.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
Among the fallouts from the crisis professor Gomes foresees is a sharp decline in the value of the dollar as interest rates spiral higher.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
Whether Maryland transportation officials should have foreseen such a risk and whether other states should learn lessons from its example are among the questions likely to be explored in connection with an investigation the NTSB said could take up to two years.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
This might help the fight off the existential threat foreseen for Europe at the hands of the Chinese.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
But most experts foresee job gains continuing to slow over the course of the year amid steady economic growth.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Among many goals Borko foresees for his future, personal objectives are just as important as business ones.
—Kyle Russell, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
As a result, central bank officials expect interest rates to come down more slowly in 2025 than previously foreseen, and only narrowly maintained their outlook for three quarter-point cuts this year.
—Joe Rennison, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
But his death became a political football whose uses were difficult to foresee at the time.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
Among the fallouts from the crisis professor Gomes foresees is a sharp decline in the value of the dollar as interest rates spiral higher.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
Whether Maryland transportation officials should have foreseen such a risk and whether other states should learn lessons from its example are among the questions likely to be explored in connection with an investigation the NTSB said could take up to two years.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
This might help the fight off the existential threat foreseen for Europe at the hands of the Chinese.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foresee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of foresee was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near foresee
Cite this Entry
“Foresee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foresee. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
Legal Definition
foresee
transitive verb
fore·see
foresaw; foreseen; foreseeing
: to be aware of the reasonable possibility of (as an occurrence or development) beforehand
More from Merriam-Webster on foresee
Nglish: Translation of foresee for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of foresee for Arabic Speakers
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