as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in predicting
to give a slight indication of beforehand
a series of small tremors that foreshadowed the massive earthquake the next day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of foreshadowing
Piet Levy, jsonline.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Feb. 2026
Andy Mannix, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
Thousands gathered outside the gates hoping to glimpse the couple, turning what might have been a society wedding into a national spectacle—and foreshadowing the intense public fascination that would follow the Kennedys for decades.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Noun
That was probably apt enough foreshadowing for what was to come.
—Piet Levy, jsonline.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Feb. 2026
Verb
So far, neither side is showing signs of backing down, foreshadowing a fight that could take years.
—Andy Mannix, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026
Thousands gathered outside the gates hoping to glimpse the couple, turning what might have been a society wedding into a national spectacle—and foreshadowing the intense public fascination that would follow the Kennedys for decades.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foreshadowing
Noun
-
Las Damas was founded in May 1948 and put on the Beachcomber’s Carnival, a forerunner of the Sunset Beach Art Festival, in July of that year.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
-
The brand was also a forerunner with exclusive collaborations.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
AccuWeather is predicting the number of 90-degree days to be near or above the historical average in Boston, Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Each week since the season began in August, four of us — an algorithm, a guest subscriber on rotation, Wilfred and I — have been predicting the Premier League results with varying degrees of success.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In fact, there’s even a hint of pre-Civ 7 here, in that the civs definitely feel most powerful during their apex age.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
-
During what was billed as the Steel Topping Out ceremony at new Nissan Stadium in November, Goodell was very complimentary of the franchise's facility, and even dropped hints that a Super Bowl could be headed to Nashville someday.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
White filed a tort claim with the city in 2024; such a claim is a necessary precursor to a lawsuit against a government agency.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
15 May 2026
-
Flying through a mountain with steep drops and dark surprises, this most definitely feels like a precursor to Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds.—
Zachary Laks,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Kreutzer cuts clunkily and repeatedly between the ongoing crises in two households, presumably implying that the men in these women’s lives are all tarred with the same patriarchal brush.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
Both Ju-ran and Un-jeong cough up blood during the final fight, implying that their days may be numbered.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2018, that monopoly was assailed by signs and portents.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
That Mann and his daughter, at a posh Frankfurt hotel party, glimpse so many remnants of the Nazi era — including Erika’s ex-husband, who collaborated with the regime — is another portent of darkness.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Fans take their own stabs pro bono, posting to Reddit their predictions for the draft’s first round, or their bespoke guesses for all two hundred and fifty-seven picks.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Mosca and his coauthor based their prediction on the opinions of 26 experts.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Aviation’s safety culture is built around anticipating failure, not responding to it.—
Andrew Rogers,
Washington Post,
14 May 2026
-
Tudor maintained that Kinsky would play again for Spurs, perhaps even this season, something not even the most optimistic of Tottenham fans would have been eagerly anticipating.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foreshadowing. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
