What does foresight mean?
Word: Foresight
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Foresight means the ability to judge what is likely to happen in the future and to prepare for it.
Synonyms: prudence
Word origin: Formed in English in the Middle Ages, from the idea of seeing something before it happens.
How do you spell foresight?
Syllables: fore - sight
Tricky part: The second half is the sight of seeing, with igh; it has nothing to do with a building site. Students sometimes write foresite or foresigt.
Watch out for: foresite, forsight, foresigt
Memory tip: Picture a lighthouse keeper scanning the sea long before a storm arrives: his foresight is like eyesight pointed at the future.
Foresight in a sentence
Example 1: With great foresight, the organisers booked a hall in case the sports day was rained off.
Example 2: It took foresight to plant mango trees that would only bear fruit years later.
Example 3: Thanks to Meera's foresight, we had spare batteries when the torch died during the power cut.
Fun Fact
In Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, the ant shows foresight by storing food all summer while the grasshopper sings.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Puzzle
Match the words with words of similar meaning:
1. foresight 2. courage 3. patience a. bravery b. tolerance c. vision
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. Planning ahead takes vision, standing firm takes bravery, and waiting calmly takes tolerance.
Word Fusion
Read the clue and choose the two parts that make the word:
This is the ability to see what may happen later and to plan for it. 1. fore 2. hind 3. in 4. sight 5. ward 6. most
a) 1 and 6
b) 3 and 4
c) 2 and 4
d) 1 and 4
Show answer
d) 1 and 4. Hindsight comes after the event, insight is deep understanding and foremost means most important, so only one pair fits the clue.
Spell Probe
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
Thanks to the coach's foresight, the team had packed raincoats, so the sudden downpour on the hill trek did not spoil the outting.
a) a heavy fall of rain
b) a short trip made for pleasure
c) a person who trains a sports team
d) a long, hard walk in the hills
Show answer
b) a short trip made for pleasure. Outing has only one t, because it is built on out; foresight, downpour and trek are spelt correctly.
Sound Check
Choose the word that does not rhyme with foresight:
a) freight
b) polite
c) outright
d) delight
Show answer
a) freight. Freight has the ay sound of eight; delight, polite and outright end with the sound in kite.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone who lacks foresight is most likely to ___.
a) save money for later
b) read the weather report daily
c) plan every step carefully
d) be caught unprepared by a problem
Show answer
d) be caught unprepared by a problem
2. The town council showed foresight by ___.
a) painting the town hall a bright new colour
b) building a bigger water tank before the summer
c) holding a fair in the town square every month
d) renaming the main road after a famous poet
Show answer
b) building a bigger water tank before the summer
