• enPR: fôr-tĕlʹ, IPA: /fɔɹˈtɛl/
  • (AU) IPA: [foː.ˈteɫ]
  • (RP) IPA: [fɔː.ˈtɛɫ]
  • (America) IPA: [fɔɹ.ˈtɛɫ]

foretell (foretells, present participle foretelling; past and past participle foretold)

1. (ambitransitive) To predict; to tell (the future) before it occurs; to prophesy.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book 2”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume V, London: Printed for Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646 ↗:

     Deeds then undone me faithful tongue foretold.

   • Prodigies, foretelling the future eminence and lustre of his character.

2. (transitive) To tell (a person) of the future.

• foresay
• forespeak

• foretale

• French: prédire
• German: vorhersagen
• Italian: predire, prevedere
• Portuguese: prever
• Russian: предска́зывать
• Spanish: predecir, pronosticar, vaticinar