Definition

1. Verb (past tense of "foretell"):
   • Predicted or prophesied: "foretold" means to have stated or indicated something that will happen in the future, often based on supernatural insight, intuition, or logical deduction.

Usage Examples

• (The oracle predicted the kingdom's destruction.)
• (The report indicated a future economic downturn.)
• (Her dreams predicted the stranger's coming.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be foretold": to have been predicted or announced in advance.
  • The event was foretold by ancient scriptures. (The event was prophesied in old religious texts.)
• "as foretold": exactly as predicted.
  • The harvest failed, as foretold by the elders. (The harvest failure happened precisely as the elders had said.)

Variants and Related Words

• Foretell (verb): to predict or prophesy.
  • No one can foretell the future with certainty. (No one can predict the future perfectly.)
• Foretelling (noun): the act of predicting.
  • His foretelling of the storm saved many lives. (His prediction of the storm prevented casualties.)
• Foreteller (noun): a person who predicts.
  • The foreteller warned of a great flood. (The predictor warned about a flood.)

Synonyms

• Predicted: stated in advance.
• Prophesied: foretold through divine inspiration.
• Prognosticated: foretold based on signs or medical knowledge.
• Foresaw: saw or knew beforehand.

Related Idioms

• Foretold in the stars: believed to be destined or predicted by astrology.
  • Their meeting was foretold in the stars. (Their encounter was believed to be fated.)
• A foretold conclusion: an outcome that was obvious or inevitable.
  • The team's loss was a foretold conclusion given their injuries. (The loss was expected due to the team's condition.)