foretell

[ fawr-tel, fohr- ]

verb (used with object)

, fore·told, fore·tell·ing.

1. to tell of beforehand; predict; prophesy.

   Synonyms: forebode, presage, augur, forecast

foretell

/ fɔːˈtɛl /

verb

1. tr; may take a clause as object to tell or indicate (an event, a result, etc) beforehand; predict

Derived Forms

• foreˈteller, noun

Other Words From

• fore·teller noun
• unfore·told adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foretell¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, foretell is from the Middle English word fortell. See fore-, tell ¹

Example Sentences

Her name was Annie—“just Annie,” no surname—and she was “just an orphan,” a nobody, really, but she never let her impoverished origins foretell her fate.

From Slate

The same goes for teams putting pitchers on the injured list because of soreness that might or might not foretell a serious injury.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet, at the same time, other maneuvers in the region could foretell an Israel-Gaza cease-fire—which, among other things, might provide Iran with a rationale to hold off on its attack.

From Slate

But alongside his deep affection for humanity was the abiding despair that attends when someone has decided to be a particular kind of witness, that is to say a prophet, which Baldwin certainly was — not because he could foretell the future, but because as an enormously astute observer of human behavior, he could make connections that escaped everyone else.

From New York Times

But alongside his deep affection for humanity was the abiding despair that attends when someone has decided to be a particular kind of witness, that is to say a prophet, which Baldwin certainly was — not because he could foretell the future, but because as an enormously astute observer of human behavior, he could make connections that escaped everyone else.

From New York Times

Related Words

• anticipate
• augur
• foreshadow
• portend
• prefigure
• presage
• prophesy
• signify