predict
Americanverb (used with object)
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predicts,
present (3rd person singular)
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predicted,
past participle, past
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predicting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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predicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
predicted,
past participle, past
-
predicting
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
Predict, prophesy, foresee, forecast mean to know or tell (usually correctly) beforehand what will happen. To predict is usually to foretell with precision of calculation, knowledge, or shrewd inference from facts or experience: The astronomers can predict an eclipse; it may, however, be used without the implication of underlying knowledge or expertise: I predict she'll be a success at the party. Prophesy usually means to predict future events by the aid of divine or supernatural inspiration: Merlin prophesied the two knights would meet in conflict; this verb, too, may be used in a more general, less specific sense. I prophesy he'll be back in the old job. To foresee refers specifically not to the uttering of predictions but to the mental act of seeing ahead; there is often (but not always) a practical implication of preparing for what will happen: He was clever enough to foresee this shortage of materials. Forecast has much the same meaning as predict; it is used today particularly of the weather and other phenomena that cannot easily be accurately predicted: Rain and snow are forecast for tonight. Economists forecast a rise in family income.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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predictabilitynoun
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mispredictverb
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predictableadjective
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unpredictedadjective
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unpredictingadjective
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predictablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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predictsimple
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predictssimple
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have predictedperfect
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has predictedperfect
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am predictingprogressive
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are predictingprogressive
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is predictingprogressive
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have been predictingperfect progressive
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has been predictingperfect progressive
Past
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predictedsimple
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had predictedperfect
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was predictingprogressive
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were predictingprogressive
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had been predictingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of predict
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praedictus, past participle of praedīcere “to foretell,” equivalent to prae- “before, earlier” + dic-, variant stem of dīcere “to say” + -tus past participle suffix; see pre-, dictum
Explanation
To predict is to say what you think is going to happen in the future. If you predict that you'll win the poker championship, you're either really confident in your poker skills or you're cheating. The prefix pre means "before." Dict comes from the Latin dicere, which means "to say," yet you can use predict to refer to things that can't say anything at all. Darkening skies can predict a coming storm, for example, and a runny nose can predict a cold. You can predict something based on factual evidence, or on a crystal-ball reading, or just on plain intuition.
Vocabulary lists containing predict
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By addressing one of the most difficult parts of modeling how spin defects respond to light, the researchers have made it possible to predict their behavior more completely and accurately.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Seoul's defence ministry said Friday it was difficult to predict "what further incidents could occur if this situation is allowed to continue unaddressed".
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Choosing a power supplier also avoids having to predict which particular AI application will win.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The researchers developed two AI tools to estimate biological age and predict cancer survival from a single face photo.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The particulars change each time, just enough that I can’t predict the outcome of the dream.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
The state predicts the colder seasons will bring extra powerful storms that risk bringing damage and floods.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Wilson predicts this trend has further to run as the broader correction in stock markets approaches its end point.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
If a loss of fiscal and monetary credibility in major economies collides with higher commodity prices, the IMF predicts global growth would be reduced by 0.2 and 0.5 percentage point in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
So Bierton predicts it won't be just Benin players who will be after the jersey.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
I still love you, Gustavo, but it’s a habitual love, a wound in the knee that predicts rain.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
None of this is predicted to change the cost of oil any time soon, according to experts.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Many economists predicted growth would slow after the spring as spending from large tax refunds dried up and the U.S.-hosted World Cup ended.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The rise was slightly higher than economists had predicted, driven by higher petrol and diesel prices.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Following Wednesday's data, analysts increasingly predicted that the Bank of England would raise borrowing costs at its next regular policy meeting in November.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
When the treaty was finally approved in 1919, Lloyd George gloomily predicted, “We shall have to fight another war all over again in twenty-five years.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Algorithms were already predicting our tastes, needs and desires and serving us options before we asked for them.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Even with substantially more data, predicting the long term dangers of Chornobyl's radioactive debris would remain challenging.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
In this one problem, Hassabis saw an opportunity to find solutions to a whole lot more, since predicting the shapes of proteins—“unbelievably exquisite things,” he calls them—held the promise of understanding diseases and curing them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"There was absolutely no possibility of predicting this fatal outcome," Oneto insisted.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
“After all those years of predicting things, you turn out to be the one who almost threw Levy Pants down the drain.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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