fore|play /fɔː r ple I / N‑UNCOUNT Foreplay is activity such as kissing and stroking when it takes place before sexual intercourse.
fore|run|ner /fɔː r rʌnə r / (forerunners ) N‑COUNT If you describe a person or thing as the forerunner of someone or something similar, you mean they existed before them and either influenced their development or were a sign of what was going to happen. □ [+ of ] …a machine which, in some respects, was the forerunner of the modern helicopter.
fore|see /fɔː r siː / (foresees , foreseeing , foresaw , foreseen ) VERB If you foresee something, you expect and believe that it will happen. □ [V n] He did not foresee any problems. □ [V that] He could never have foreseen that one day his books would sell in millions. [Also V wh]
fore|see|able /fɔː r siː əb ə l/
1 ADJ If a future event is foreseeable , you know that it will happen or that it can happen, because it is a natural or obvious consequence of something else that you know. □ It seems to me that this crime was foreseeable and this death preventable.
2 PHRASE If you say that something will happen for the foreseeable future , you think that it will continue to happen for a long time. □ Profit and dividend growth looks like being above average for the foreseeable future.
3 PHRASE If you say that something will happen in the foreseeable future you mean that you think it will happen fairly soon. □ So, might they finally have free elections in the foreseeable future?
fore|shad|ow /fɔː r ʃæ doʊ/ (foreshadows , foreshadowing , foreshadowed ) VERB If something foreshadows an event or situation, it suggests that it will happen. □ [V n] The disappointing sales figures foreshadow more redundancies.
fore|shore /fɔː r ʃɔː r / (foreshores ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] Beside the sea, a lake, or a wide river, the foreshore is the part of the shore which is between the highest and lowest points reached by the water.
fore|short|en /fɔː r ʃɔː r t ə n/ (foreshortens , foreshortening , foreshortened ) VERB To foreshorten someone or something means to draw them, photograph them, or see them from an unusual angle so that the parts of them that are furthest away seem smaller than they really are. □ [V n] She could see herself in the reflecting lenses, which had grotesquely foreshortened her.
fore|sight /fɔː r sa I t/ N‑UNCOUNT Someone's foresight is their ability to see what is likely to happen in the future and to take appropriate action. [APPROVAL ] □ He was later criticised for his lack of foresight. □ They had the foresight to invest in new technology.
fore|skin /fɔː r sk I n/ (foreskins ) N‑VAR A man's foreskin is the skin that covers the end of his penis.
for|est ◆◇◇ /fɒ r I st, [AM ] fɔː r-/ (forests )
1 N‑VAR A forest is a large area where trees grow close together. □ Parts of the forest are still dense and inaccessible. □ …25 million hectares of forest.
2 N‑COUNT A forest of tall or narrow objects is a group of them standing or sticking upright. [LITERARY ] □ [+ of ] They descended from the plane into a forest of microphones and cameras.
fore|stall /fɔː r stɔː l/ (forestalls , forestalling , forestalled ) VERB If you forestall someone, you realize what they are likely to do and prevent them from doing it. □ [V n] Large numbers of police were in the square to forestall any demonstrations.
for|est|ed /fɒ r I st I d, [AM ] fɔː r-/ ADJ A forested area is an area covered in trees growing closely together. □ …a thickly forested valley. □ Only 8 per cent of the country is forested.
for|est|er /fɒ r I stə r , [AM ] fɔː r-/ (foresters ) N‑COUNT A forester is a person whose job is to look after the trees in a forest and to plant new ones.
for|est|ry /fɒ r I stri, [AM ] fɔː r-/ N‑UNCOUNT Forestry is the science or skill of growing and taking care of trees in forests, especially in order to obtain wood.
fore|taste /fɔː r te I st/ (foretastes ) N‑COUNT [usu a N of n] If you describe an event as a foretaste of a future situation, you mean that it suggests to you what that future situation will be like. □ [+ of ] It was a foretaste of things to come.
fore|tell /fɔː r te l/ (foretells , foretelling , foretold ) VERB If you foretell a future event, you predict that it will happen. [LITERARY ] □ [V n] …prophets who have foretold the end of the world. [Also V that/wh]
fore|thought /fɔː r θɔːt/ N‑UNCOUNT If you act with forethought , you think carefully before you act about what will be needed, or about what the consequences will be. □ With a little forethought many accidents could be avoided.
fore|told /fɔː r toʊ ld/ Foretold is the past tense and past participle of foretell .
for|ever /fəre və r / also for ever
1 ADV [ADV with v] If you say that something will happen or continue forever , you mean that it will always happen or continue. □ I think that we will live together forever. □ I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.
2 ADV [ADV after v] If something has gone or changed forever , it has gone or changed completely and permanently. □ The old social order was gone forever. □ Their lives changed forever.
3 ADV [ADV after v] If you say that something takes forever or lasts forever , you are emphasizing that it takes or lasts a very long time, or that it seems to. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ The drive seemed to take forever.