forego

1 of 2

verb (1)

fore·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

forewent fȯr-ˈwent  ; foregone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; foregoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

transitive verb

: to go before : precede

The story of his mishap forewent him.

foregoer

fȯr-ˈgō-ər 

noun

forego

2 of 2

verb (2)

fore·​go

less common spelling of forgo

transitive verb

1

: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of : do without

never forwent an opportunity of honest profit

—R. L. Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days

2

archaic : forsake

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• antecede
• antedate
• precede
• predate
• preexist

Examples of forego in a Sentence

Verb (1)

if the sparse crowds are any indication of the public's interest in the presidential candidate, then his reputation obviously foregoes him

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For the past 16 months, he’s been in hospice, end-of-life care that focuses on comfort and foregoes medical intervention. —Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 22 June 2024

But experts caution homeowners in X zones against foregoing flood insurance, particularly in Florida, where the entire state is under a perpetual flood risk. —Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2024

With the hold, the mission missed an instantaneous launch opportunity at 12:25 pm EDT (16:25 UTC), and later Saturday, NASA announced teams will forego a launch opportunity Sunday. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 1 June 2024

This update would suggest the Knicks and Randle are foregoing surgery — at least for now. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

forego

1 of 2 verb

fore·​go fōr-ˈgō 

fȯr-

forewent

-ˈwent

; foregone -ˈgȯn 

 also  -ˈgän

; foregoing -ˈgō-iŋ 

: to go before : precede

foregoer

-ˈgō(-ə)r 

noun

forego

2 of 2

variant of forgo