foretell

verb

fore·​tell fȯr-ˈtel 

foretold fȯr-ˈtōld  ; foretelling

transitive verb

: to tell beforehand : predict

foreteller noun

Synonyms

• augur
• call
• forecast
• predict
• presage
• prognosticate
• prophesy
• read
• vaticinate

Choose the Right Synonym for foretell

foretell, predict, forecast, prophesy, prognosticate mean to tell beforehand.

foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information.

seers foretold the calamity

predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature.

astronomers predicted an eclipse

forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties.

forecast snow

prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises.

prophesying a new messiah

prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy.

prognosticating the future

Examples of foretell in a Sentence

We cannot foretell the future.

a 16th-century astrologer who, some claim, accurately foretold 20th-century events

Recent Examples on the Web

Written soon after the death of Mahler’s daughter and soon before his own, the symphony is a sombre, reflective, and reverberant adieu, brewing such melancholy that Leonard Bernstein theorized that Mahler was foretelling his own end. —The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025

Political violence rose to the surface in the US, and there was an election result that foretells four years of chaos and persecution for many. —Rob Reddick, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2024

Some read — or at least, want to read — the dazzling display as foretelling a return to the fold — although that may be unlikely if Margiela owner Renzo Rosso has anything to say about it. —Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, WWD, 1 Dec. 2024

On a more abstract level, though, the project did foretell a future in which amateur and professional producers crashed songs into one another. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

foretell

verb

fore·​tell fōr-ˈtel 

fȯr-

foretold -ˈtōld  ; foretelling

: to tell of or describe beforehand

foreteller noun