Foregone conclusion is an idiom that has been in use for hundreds of years. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom foregone conclusion, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.
A foregone conclusion is a result that is inevitable because it has been decided even before all the evidence or facts have been studied. A foregone conclusion is one that occurs no matter what; the term is often used in situations that are unfair and so have no hope of working out in any other way, or situations that have only one, obvious outcome. The expression foregone conclusion came into use in the 1600s; it is seen in William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, published in 1604: “But this denoted a foregone conclusion: ‘Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream.”
Examples
They trail the Sox by 10 1⁄2 games, and the title going to the South Side has been a foregone conclusion for weeks. (Chicago Sun-Times)
But Justice Michael H. Wojcik, in a dissenting opinion, said that once the court determines that the city of Chester controls the assets, “the city’s ability to dissolve the authority and sell the assets is a foregone conclusion.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Sestero’s involvement in the film was far from a foregone conclusion: The up-and-coming actor signed on to work in a behind-the-scenes capacity. (Columbus Dispatch)
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