prophesy
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prophesies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prophesied,
past participle, past
-
prophesying
present participle
-
to foretell or predict.
- Synonyms:
- prognosticate, augur
-
to indicate beforehand.
-
to declare or foretell by or as if by divine inspiration.
- Synonyms:
- divine
-
to utter in prophecy or as a prophet.
verb (used without object)
-
prophesies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prophesied,
past participle, past
-
prophesying
present participle
-
to make predictions.
-
to make inspired declarations of what is to come.
-
to speak as a mediator between God and humankind or in God's stead.
-
Archaic. to teach religious subjects.
verb
-
to reveal or foretell (something, esp a future event) by or as if by divine inspiration
-
archaic (intr) to give instruction in religious subjects
Commonly Confused
See prophecy.
Synonym Usage
See predict.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prophesysimple
-
prophesiessimple
-
have prophesiedperfect
-
has prophesiedperfect
-
am prophesyingprogressive
-
are prophesyingprogressive
-
is prophesyingprogressive
-
have been prophesyingperfect progressive
-
has been prophesyingperfect progressive
Past
-
prophesiedsimple
-
had prophesiedperfect
-
was prophesyingprogressive
-
were prophesyingprogressive
-
had been prophesyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prophesy
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; verb use of variant of the noun prophecy (fully distinguished in form and meaning in the 18th century)
Explanation
The word prophesy can mean to predict or reveal something that will happen in the future. Many people use astrology to prophesy, or predict, their future regarding misfortune, wealth, love, and relationships. Used as a verb prophesy can mean to deliver a sermon or predict through divine inspiration. A religious leader may prophesy to followers about good, evil, and forgiveness. In ancient Greece, an oracle would prophesy the Greek's future regarding the gods, war, and harvest. Using a crystal ball, a fortuneteller will prophesy, or reveal, aspects of your future such as wealth, love, and death.
Vocabulary lists containing prophesy
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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:
This is headline news today, but more than a century ago American writers began to foresee such a crisis, and to prophesy what might happen next.
From Salon ● May 17, 2025
Studies can’t prophesy what will happen to any one person, he says, but “this is about probabilities and relative risks.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
The crowd, composed mostly of New York and L.A. rap cognoscenti who had invented or dominated the genre, jeered, nearly heckling Outkast offstage — but not before André reeled off a prophesy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2023
Mr Darko told the BBC that the police lost a case earlier this year against a pastor who had been charged for allegedly making an alarmist prophesy about a celebrity musician being shot.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2022
“Perhaps someday your cricket will play as well. I prophesy great things for a creature of such ability, Mario.”
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
An apparent similarity between two unrelated events, a parchment-paper test, makes us partial to seemingly endless, overconfident prophesies of disaster.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2025
But he was quickly disabused of any hope that his prophesies of financial doom would sway opponents.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
But the sun no longer shines on their quaint German town, and Ellen prophesies that something is wrong.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
As report after report prophesies how generative artificial intelligence will upend millions of jobs, many white-collar workers are wondering what it will all mean.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
Tom and Eb were sullen and resentful for days that their prophesies of an easy victory should so early have taken on a hollow ring.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Burry’s bets are still off from how low he has prophesied they will go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Commanders and commentators may reference ancient texts, such as the Book of Ezekiel, which prophesied a war against the biblical kingdom of Israel, or the Book of Revelation.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
This, he prophesied, would lead to an unbreakable coalition that could fundamentally reshape the nation’s politics for the next half-century.
From Slate ● Nov. 25, 2024
Dubois, 27, becomes a top dog in the glamour division, but 'Dynamite' is not a flash in the pan and has long been prophesied for heavyweight stardom.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2024
Here we are more than a quarter-century after the prophesied date and more than a half-century after the prediction, and we can check to see what happened.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Linn Nhyo Taryar's past has been anything but safe and secure, thanks to his prophesying profession.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
It is often called ritual theatre for its electrifying drama, featuring daring acts like fire-walking, diving into burning embers, chanting occult verses, and prophesying.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024
He noted the irony of his own circumstances, prophesying a city laid waste by remote work.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
It was the very concept of making original content, prophesying the deals now common at streaming platforms like Netflix.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
Our final test involved determining a pattern in four pairs of dominoes and prophesying what the fifth pair might look like.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
