Thesaurus results for FORESEE

Q: How is the word 'foresee' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of foresee are anticipate , divine , and foreknow . While all these words mean "to know beforehand," foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience. // economists should have foreseen the recession

Q: When could 'anticipate' be used to replace 'foresee'?

Although the words anticipate and foresee have much in common, anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens. // the waiter anticipated our every need

Q: How are the words 'divine' and 'foresee' related?

Divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment. // was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

Q: When is it sensible to use 'foreknow' instead of 'foresee'?

The synonyms foreknow and foresee are sometimes interchangeable, but foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation. // if only we could foreknow our own destinies

foresee

verb

fȯr-ˈsē

Definition of foresee next

as in to anticipate

to realize or know about beforehand a freak accident that no one could possibly have foreseen

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word foresee different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of foresee are anticipate, divine, and foreknow. While all these words mean "to know beforehand," foresee implies nothing about how the knowledge is derived and may apply to ordinary reasoning and experience.

economists should have foreseen the recession

When could anticipate be used to replace foresee?

Although the words anticipate and foresee have much in common, anticipate implies taking action about or responding emotionally to something before it happens.

the waiter anticipated our every need

How are the words divine and foresee related?

Divine adds to foresee the suggestion of exceptional wisdom or discernment.

was able to divine Europe's rapid recovery from the war

When is it sensible to use foreknow instead of foresee?

The synonyms foreknow and foresee are sometimes interchangeable, but foreknow usually implies supernatural assistance, as through revelation.

if only we could foreknow our own destinies

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 foresee While the first group of buildings won’t be particularly tall by Chicago standards (the hotel is currently contemplated at nine stories), the overall plan foresees some later commercial development at the northeast edge of the site rising to a height of 660 feet. —

Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025 Around the 80th minute, with the game locked at 0-0 and Young Boys proving considerably more durable than many had foreseen, Celtic’s fans had summoned a wall of noise. —

Michael Walker, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 All eyes must be on California’s state plan of last resort, the FAIR Plan, as the state had recently picked up thousands of policies in fire prone areas after private insurance companies bailed on homeowners — foreseeing just such a catastrophe as has unfolded. —

The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2025 So, the anniversary album release was planned, but who could have foreseen these events and the support? —

Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for foresee