What does "foreknow" mean?

To have knowledge of beforehand.

What is a synonym for "foreknow"?

Common synonyms include: anticipate, anticipate, apprehend, divine, expect, foresee.

Foreknow

//ˌfɔɹˈnoʊ// verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1
To have knowledge of beforehand.
"God hath not reiected his people vvhich he foreknevve."
2
realize beforehand wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

anticipate anticipate apprehend divine expect foresee

Example

More examples

"God hath not reiected his people vvhich he foreknevve."

Etymology

From Middle English forknowen (since Chaucer), a calque from praescio equivalent to fore- + know. Replaced Old English fōrwitan, fōrewitan (“to foreknow”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.