foreshadowing
noun
fore·shad·ow·ing
fȯr-ˈsha-də-wiŋ 
plural foreshadowings
: an indication of what is to come
If the history of the world were a novel, the events so strikingly chronicled in the photographs in this book … would seem a foreshadowing of the recent events …—
Ralph Novak
Ralph NovakOn this merry Christmas evening, however, no fears or dim foreshadowings of any coming event clouded our hearts or faces.—Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
also
: the use of such indications (as in a work of literature)
And, further, Rose is a genuine cliff-hanger, or page-turner, full of foreshadowing … and all the tried and tricky methods of creating suspense. —John Simon
John Simon Examples of foreshadowing in a Sentence
the hero's strange encounter with a grave digger is often seen as a foreshadowing of his own death
Recent Examples on the Web
In a foreshadowing of graver threats to come, this time GICs also disrupted the electrical signals that powered the rail network in London and surged through telephone lines around Chicago.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
But really, the appearance of the demonic nun is a foreshadowing of The Nun, which would be released two years later.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Handed an eight-run lead in the eighth inning, the Dodgers’ bullpen struggled to get the final six outs – a performance the Dodgers can only hope is not a foreshadowing of postseason problems to come.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 1 Oct. 2025
An Easter egg to me is more of a wink to the fans or narrative foreshadowing in some kind of way.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
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Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
But really, the appearance of the demonic nun is a foreshadowing of The Nun, which would be released two years later.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Handed an eight-run lead in the eighth inning, the Dodgers’ bullpen struggled to get the final six outs – a performance the Dodgers can only hope is not a foreshadowing of postseason problems to come.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 1 Oct. 2025
An Easter egg to me is more of a wink to the fans or narrative foreshadowing in some kind of way.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreshadowing
Cite this Entry
“Foreshadowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreshadowing. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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