foreshadow

/fɔrˈʃædoʊ/

/fɔˈʃædəʊ/

Other forms: foreshadowed; foreshadowing; foreshadows

To foreshadow is to predict something or to give a hint of what is to come. Your kid sister's ability to take apart a toaster and put it back together might foreshadow a successful career in electronics.

The verb foreshadow can mean "to warn" and often has a suggestion of something bad to come, though sometimes it's more neutral or shows examples of both good and bad predictions. Dark gray clouds foreshadow a thunderstorm, just as spring showers foreshadow May flowers. What is foreshadowed doesn't always happen, though. A story might not foreshadow a happily-ever-after ending, but it can take an unexpected twist where the villain turns out to be a hero.

Definitions of foreshadow

1. verb

   indicate by signs
   synonyms: augur, auspicate, betoken, bode, forecast, foretell, omen, portend, predict, prefigure, presage, prognosticate

   types:

   threaten

   to be a menacing indication of something:"The clouds threaten rain"

   foreshow

   foretell by divine inspiration

   type of:

   bespeak, betoken, indicate, point, signal

   be a signal for or a symptom of