Foresee: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：anticipate (foresee)

foresee 🔊

/fɔːrˈsiː/

vt.

to know or guess what will happen in the future before it happens.

Foresee meaning illustrated by a professional planning for future trends and outcomes in a modern office.

anticipate 🔊

➕

/ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt/

vt.

To know or become aware of something that will happen in the future, often through logical thinking or intuition, and to prepare for it.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'fore-' (before, in front) + 'see' (perceive with eyes). Literally 'to see before'.

💡 Mnemonic

FORESEE = Before + See. Imagine looking FORward with your mind's eye to SEE what's coming.

📖 Example

A good project manager can foresee potential problems and make plans to avoid them. 🔊 A good project manager can anticipate potential problems and make plans to avoid them.

🔗 Collocations

foresee a problem – to anticipate a difficulty before it occurs

foresee the consequences – to predict the outcomes or results of an action

difficult to foresee – hard to predict or anticipate

🔄 Synonyms

anticipate (vt.) – To expect or predict something and act accordingly.

predict (vt.) – To say that a specific event will happen in the future.

envision (vt.) – To picture or imagine something in the future.

🚫 Antonyms

overlook (vt.) – To fail to see or notice something.

🌱 Derivatives

foreseeable (adj.) – Able to be predicted or anticipated.

foresight (n.) – The ability to predict or plan for the future.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'foresee' has roots in Old English ('foreseon') and Middle English. It combines a sense of vision ('see') with a temporal prefix ('fore-'), reflecting a human desire to mentally project into the future, a concept central to planning, prophecy, and risk management in many cultures.