forego

1 of 2

verb (1)

fore·​go fȯr-ˈgō 

forewent fȯr-ˈwent  ; foregone fȯr-ˈgȯn 

also -ˈgän

; foregoing fȯr-ˈgō-iŋ 

-ˈgȯ(-)iŋ

; foregoes fȯr-ˈgōz 

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 …

—Robert Louis Stevenson

decided to forgo dessert for a few days …

2

archaic : forsake

Synonyms of forego

Verb (1)

• precede

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

East Middle School will forego its student government indefinitely. — Eli Grober, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026

Those will be decided by a judge, as McCollister opted to forego a jury trial, according to WXIX-TV. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Those events prevented Link from rendezvousing with Swift and completing the reboost, and Katalyst had to forego its final incentive payment from NASA. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026

In children’s it-narratives such as The History of a Pocket Prayer Book (1839) and The Adventures of a Work-Bag (1826), authors forego the sharp edge of satire for the blunt instrument of didacticism. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forego

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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