What does foresee mean?
Word: Foresee
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Foresee means to know or guess that something is going to happen before it does.
Synonyms: predict, anticipate, expect
Word origin: Comes from the Old English verb foreseon, which meant to see beforehand.
How do you spell foresee?
Syllables: fore - see
Tricky part: Students leave out the e after the r because the word sounds as if it could begin with for.
Watch out for: forsee, forseen, forsaw
Memory tip: To foresee is to know a thing before it comes, and the word before ends in the very e you need straight after the r.
Foresee in a sentence
Example 1: Nobody could foresee how popular the little tea stall would become.
Example 2: A careful trekker tries to foresee changes in the mountain weather.
Example 3: If we foresee a delay, we will message you before we leave.
Fun Fact
The warning shout of fore on a golf course is thought to come from the same old word that opens foresee, which meant in front or before.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
fores_ _
a) ie
b) ee
c) ey
d) ea
Show answer
b) ee. The word ends with the verb to see, not with the sea of the coast.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
esefroe 1234567
a) 1657234
b) 5461237
c) 4651237
d) 4652731
Show answer
c) 4651237. Follow the digits and the seven letters settle into foresee.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with foresee?
a) plea
b) key
c) quay
d) they
Show answer
d) they. They has the ay sound of day, though its spelling looks like key.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. foresee 2. foremost 3. forehand a. leading in importance b. a racket stroke played with the palm facing forward c. to sense what lies ahead
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. All three begin alike, but only one is a verb about the future; the foremost singer leads the rest, and a forehand belongs on a tennis court.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone who foresees a problem is most likely to be ___.
a) packing an umbrella on a cloudy morning
b) searching the classroom for a lost pen
c) laughing at a funny scene in a film
d) drying a wet shirt after the rain
Show answer
a) packing an umbrella on a cloudy morning
2. Which of these would count as an unforeseen event?
a) a test announced three weeks ahead
b) a birthday party planned since June
c) a holiday marked on the school calendar
d) a sudden power cut during the quiz
Show answer
d) a sudden power cut during the quiz
