What does forego mean?
"Forego" is a verb meaning to go before something else, whether physically — to walk or travel ahead of someone — or temporally, as when one event precedes another. It is built from the Old English elements "fore" (before) and "go" (to move), reflecting its literal origins in movement and sequence. Although once reasonably common, the word has become rare and markedly formal in modern English, and its survival is complicated by its near-identical spelling of "forgo," which means to do without or abstain from something. The confusion between the two is so widespread that style guides routinely warn writers to distinguish them carefully. Related forms persist more visibly: "foregone" appears in the well-known phrase "a foregone conclusion," describing an outcome already settled in advance, and "foregoing" refers to what has come immediately before, as in "the foregoing paragraphs." Used precisely, "forego" lends a sentence an air of formality and historical weight, but it should be chosen deliberately, since misusing it in place of "forgo" reverses its meaning entirely.
verbTo go before something else, either in place (to walk or proceed ahead) or, more commonly in modern usage, in time (to come earlier than a subsequent event). It is now largely archaic and is very frequently confused with "forgo," which means to do without.
- To go before or precede something, whether in position or in time.
- (Archaic or rare) To precede in sequence, as one event preceding another.
"The solemn procession that would forego the coronation wound slowly through the capital's streets."
"A lengthy overture would forego the evening's main performance."
"In the manuscript, a short blessing was found to forego the opening chapter."
Even careful writers routinely swap "forego" and "forgo" — but only one of them means giving something up, and mixing them up can quietly reverse your meaning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of forego
"Forego" derives from Middle English, formed by combining the native Germanic prefix "fore-" (before, in front) with the verb "go," which descends from Old English "gān." Both elements are of Germanic origin, making the word a fully native compound rather than a Latin or French borrowing. Its adjective derivative "foregone" gave English the enduring expression "a foregone conclusion." Its sibling word "forgo" shares the "fore/go" construction historically, but evolved to mean abstention, which is the source of their persistent confusion.
Related word forms
How forego is actually used
"Forego" is now rare in everyday English and carries a formal, somewhat old-fashioned register; most contemporary usage guides recommend reserving it strictly for the sense of "preceding" and using "forgo" for self-denial. The adjective forms differ accordingly: "foregone" (as in "a foregone conclusion") derives from this word, while "forgone" belongs to "forgo." Because the two are so easily conflated, many modern dictionaries note that "forego" in the sense of "give up" is considered an error.
Easily confused with forego
"Forgo" means to abstain from or do without something, while "forego" means to go before or precede — they are entirely different words despite their similar spelling.