To foresee means to see or know that something will happen before it actually occurs. When you foresee a problem, you recognize it's coming and can prepare for it. A chess player who foresees her opponent's next three moves can plan a winning strategy. A meteorologist foresees tomorrow's storm by studying today's cloud patterns and wind direction.

When you foresee something, you're essentially seeing forward in time, though not through magic: you're using clues, patterns, and knowledge to make an educated prediction.

Some things are easy to foresee: if you leave ice cream on the counter, you can foresee it melting. Other things are harder: no one foresaw that a simple invention like the internet would transform how billions of people communicate and learn.

People who regularly foresee consequences tend to make better decisions. If you can foresee that staying up too late will make you exhausted tomorrow, you might choose to go to bed earlier tonight. Something that could have been predicted is called foreseeable: “The puddle in the cafeteria was a foreseeable hazard that should have been cleaned up.”