as in prediction
a declaration that something will happen in the future
the ludicrous foretellings of self-styled psychics at the end of each year
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in predicting
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Dissimilar Words
as in reading
to tell of or describe beforehand
a 16th-century astrologer who, some claim, accurately foretold 20th-century events
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of foretelling
Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The stories foretelling McGonigle’s talents are numerous.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Million-Follower Detective (February 12) This eight-episode Taiwanese crime thriller follows a mysterious woman who rises to fame and becomes a powerful influencer after accurately foretelling the murders of several social-media influencers.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Apparently, the little man was an oracle, foretelling deaths with certainty.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The opening night in Brazil provided the ominous but apparently foretelling moment, when one star player left his passing lane on a game-deciding third down.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
The track, written and produced by Danny Elfman, premiered in the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas (foretelling the blend of Halloween and Christmas decorations on the latest chart).
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Miami had been favored by 13 1/2 points but that whittled to 10 1/2 by kickoff, perhaps foretelling the close game as late gambling money flooded to the Cardinals.
—Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the wake of Friday’s abysmal jobs report , investors are scrambling to understand whether the loss of 92,000 jobs in February was a blip or a foretelling of more payroll cuts to come as t he adoption of AI by corporations increases .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Guardian similarly noted more than a dozen $100,000 bets on prediction markets foretelling the February air strikes on Iran, while The New York Times last month reported 150 bets of $1,000 or more predicting the start of the war.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The stories foretelling McGonigle’s talents are numerous.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Million-Follower Detective (February 12) This eight-episode Taiwanese crime thriller follows a mysterious woman who rises to fame and becomes a powerful influencer after accurately foretelling the murders of several social-media influencers.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Apparently, the little man was an oracle, foretelling deaths with certainty.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The opening night in Brazil provided the ominous but apparently foretelling moment, when one star player left his passing lane on a game-deciding third down.
—Sam McDowell December 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Dec. 2025
The track, written and produced by Danny Elfman, premiered in the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas (foretelling the blend of Halloween and Christmas decorations on the latest chart).
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2025
Those are the conclusions of two recent reports about spiraling utility bills, one looking at the past, the other foretelling the future.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Miami had been favored by 13 1/2 points but that whittled to 10 1/2 by kickoff, perhaps foretelling the close game as late gambling money flooded to the Cardinals.
—Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foretelling
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
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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
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In addition to following and sharing insights from forecasting firms, the team mines social media, pop culture and television, runway collections, people watching and more to determine where style is headed.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026
-
The forecasting model is not yet precise enough to predict exactly which beaches will be hit.—
Amy Reyes,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Get the weather forecast for today here.—
South Florida Sun Sentinel,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
-
The Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, has placed locations north of a line from Leavenworth to Kirksville within a slight risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe weather, with a marginal risk (Level 1 of 5) for the Kansas City metro and the remainder of the forecast area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Pushed by an exacting director to pour her grief into the performance, she is simultaneously visited by the ghost of her deceased partner, who carries an impending climate prophecy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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In that way, the race seems to be shaping up as less a competition than a self-fulfilling prophecy.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Foretelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foretelling. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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