Meaning & use
foresee
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To know or expect that something will happen before it actually does.
Grammar: Takes an object: foresee problems. Often used in the phrase 'foresee that ...'.
Patterns
- foresee something
- foresee that ...
- foresee how/what/when ...
The company could not foresee the sudden drop in sales.
We foresee that prices will rise next year.
She foresaw trouble and warned us early.
Word forms
| third person singular | foresees |
|---|---|
| past tense | foresaw |
| past participle | foreseen |
| present participle | foreseeing |
Common combinations
- foresee problems
- Good managers foresee problems before they become serious.
- foresee the consequences
- It is hard to foresee the consequences of such a decision.
- foresee a change
- Analysts foresee a change in consumer behavior.
- difficult to foresee
- The outcome is difficult to foresee at this stage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- predict
- Predict is more general and often based on data or reasoning; foresee suggests a kind of knowledge or awareness of the future.
- anticipate
- Anticipate often includes preparing for something expected; foresee is mostly about knowing it will happen.
- forecast
- Forecast is used for statements about future events, especially weather or economics; foresee is more personal and less formal.
Word family
- foreseeable adjective
- able to be known or expected before it happens
- foresight noun
- the ability to see what will happen and plan for it
Commonly confused: foresee or foretell?
foresee vs foretell
Foretell means to predict or tell about the future, often in a mysterious way; foresee is more about knowing something will happen.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'foresee' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Foresee is a transitive verb and can be followed by a 'that' clause: foresee that the project will be delayed. The other options use incorrect prepositions or patterns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foresee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.