as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in predicting
to give a slight indication of beforehand
a series of small tremors that foreshadowed the massive earthquake the next day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foreshadowing
Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
In a foreshadowing of what her later critics would call her victim-blaming, Ms. Brownmiller argued that Ms. Nussbaum was not a passive victim and should have been held partly accountable for the girl’s death.
—Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, 26 May 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
That report speaks to inflation being a legitimate issue and could be foreshadowing a hotter CPI number.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Noun
John wonders if he and his foreshadowing are chopped liver.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
In a foreshadowing of what her later critics would call her victim-blaming, Ms. Brownmiller argued that Ms. Nussbaum was not a passive victim and should have been held partly accountable for the girl’s death.
—Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, 26 May 2025
Verb
Moreover, the film is also a vision of a time pregnant with radical change, with Michèle’s dramatic leap off course foreshadowing the imminent crisis of the Francosphere.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
That report speaks to inflation being a legitimate issue and could be foreshadowing a hotter CPI number.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreshadowing
Noun
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Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, was not available for comment on Wednesday.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
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The reactor is the forerunner to the Aalo Pod, a 50-megawatt modular power plant designed specifically for data centers.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Explore Fall, a website that provides resources and tools to track the changing colors of leaves, is predicting an earlier and quicker fall foliage peak for the millions of people looking to see this year's natural spectacle.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Going to half yearly reporting might potentially lead to even more trading by hedge funds who are more interested in predicting near term stock price changes rather than long term fundamentals.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Check out our hints and answers right here.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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From cracks near its south pole, the moon blasts towering geysers of water vapor, ice and organic molecules into space, which are tantalizing hints of a hidden ocean that could, in theory, be habitable.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And the precursors for that reality may already be in motion, Metzger noted.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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After a follow-up period of 7½ years, the team concluded that higher iron levels in two key parts of the brain were linked to a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment, which is typically a precursor to the development of Alzheimer’s dementia.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Analyst Bonnie Herzog also set a 12-month price target of $72 per share, implying upside of 28%.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
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Cyrus was quick to defend herself, implying her words had been manipulated by the Times.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Keane, though, sees nothing but disaster ahead, a portent presaged by some of the film’s most enduring images, like a stretch limo with a flat tire and a steam room littered with empty champagne bottles.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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As portents go, after a testing summer for Newcastle, this did not look altogether positive.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Tropical weather experts at Colorado State University echo these predictions, saying overall atmospheric conditions, including wind patterns, will shift in a manner that supports a notable increase in activity.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
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My preseason prediction of nine wins feels very much in play.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Local business owners, too, are anticipating the need to advocate for themselves in the coming years.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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But media buyers and ad sales executives had been quietly anticipating the move, which could cause a significant pullback in pharma ad dollars.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreshadowing. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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