What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Believe vs Foresee - What's the difference?

believe | foresee |

As verbs the difference between believe and foresee

is that believe is to accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing while foresee is to anticipate; to predict.

believe

English

Alternative forms

* beleeve (obsolete)

Verb

(believ)
  • (label) To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing)
    • (Here, the speaker merely accepts the accuracy of the conditional.)
  • * 1611 , (King James Version of the Bible), 1:1 :
    • Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-21, volume=411, issue=8892, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Magician’s brain , passage=[Isaac Newton] was obsessed with alchemy. He spent hours copying alchemical recipes and trying to replicate them in his laboratory. He believed that the Bible contained numerological codes.}}
  • (label) To accept that someone is telling the truth.
  • (label) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.

    • Usage notes

    * The transitive verb believe and the phrasal verb (m) are similar but can have very different implications. ** To “believe” someone or something means to accept specific pieces of information as truth: believe the news'', ''believe the lead witness . To “believe a complete stranger” means to accept a stranger's story with little evidence. ** To “believe in” someone or something means to hold confidence and trust in that person or concept: believe in liberty'', ''believe in God . To “believe in one's fellow man” means to place trust and confidence in mankind. * Meanings sometimes overlap. To believe in'' a religious text would also require affirming the truth of at least the major tenets. To ''believe a religious text might likewise imply placing one's confidence and trust in it, in addition to accepting its statements as facts.

    Derived terms

    * believable * believability * believer * believe in * believe it or not * believe one's eyes * believe you me * disbelieve * unbelievable * unbeliever

    Related terms

    * belief * disbelief

    Statistics

    * ----

    foresee

    English

    Verb

  • To anticipate; to predict.
  • * 1838 , Charles Dickens, The Lamplighter
    • "I foresee in this," he says, "the breaking up of our profession."
  • * Bible, Proverbs xxii. 3
    • A prudent man foreseeth the evil.
  • (obsolete) To provide.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • Great shoals of people, which go on to populate, without foreseeing means of life.

    See also

    * forsee English irregular verbs