Hints inserted by the author to indicate to the careful reader how the action is going to develop, and thus to contribute to the credibility of the plot
When later developments in a narrative are hinted at early on The famous Pushkin law--"Never plant a gun in the first act unless you intend to use it in the last"--is really about foreshadowing
If something foreshadows an event or situation, it suggests that it will happen. The disappointing sales figures foreshadow more redundancies. to show or say that something will happen in the future