Meaning & use

foreshadow

verb·Advanced

To give an early sign or warning of something that will happen later, especially in a story.

See it in a sentence

The dark clouds gathering on the horizon foreshadowed the storm that would hit by nightfall.

The author's opening chapter foreshadows the tragic betrayal that unfolds near the end of the novel.

A note on using this word

Foreshadow is common in literary analysis, describing hints an author plants early in a story about later events.

Words with a similar meaning

presageportend

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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