forecast
Americanverb (used with object)
-
forecasts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forecasted,
past participle, past
-
forecast,
past participle, past
-
forecasting
present participle
-
to predict (a future condition or occurrence); calculate in advance.
to forecast a heavy snowfall; to forecast lower interest rates.
- Synonyms:
- anticipate, foretell
-
to serve as a prediction of; foreshadow.
-
to contrive or plan beforehand; prearrange.
- Synonyms:
- project
verb (used without object)
-
forecasts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
forecasted,
past participle, past
-
forecast,
past participle, past
-
forecasting
present participle
noun
-
forecasts
plural
-
a prediction, especially as to the weather.
-
a conjecture as to something in the future.
-
the act, practice, or faculty of forecasting.
-
Archaic. foresight in planning.
- Synonyms:
- prescience, forethought
verb
-
to predict or calculate (weather, events, etc), in advance
-
(tr) to serve as an early indication of
-
(tr) to plan in advance
noun
-
a statement of probable future weather conditions calculated from meteorological data
-
a prophecy or prediction
-
the practice or power of forecasting
Synonym Usage
See predict.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
forecasternoun
-
reforecastverb (used with object)
-
forecastableadjective
-
unforecastadjective
-
unforecastedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
forecastsimple
-
forecastssimple
-
have forecastperfect
-
have forecastedperfect
-
has forecastperfect
-
has forecastedperfect
-
am forecastingprogressive
-
are forecastingprogressive
-
is forecastingprogressive
-
have been forecastingperfect progressive
-
has been forecastingperfect progressive
Past
-
forecastsimple
-
forecastedsimple
-
had forecastperfect
-
had forecastedperfect
-
was forecastingprogressive
-
were forecastingprogressive
-
had been forecastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of forecast
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (verb) “to plan ahead of time”; see origin at fore-, cast ( def. )
Explanation
A forecast is a prediction of what will happen. If the weather forecast calls for sunny skies, consider leaving your umbrella at home. (But, since forecasts aren’t guaranteed to be right, don’t blame us if you get rained on.) While often used in the context of weather, forecast can also be used for other types of predictions such as those related to financial or political outcomes. Note that a forecast is typically a prediction made by experts. So, while a financial analyst might forecast fourth-quarter profits, your prediction about whether your friend will pay back the five dollars he owes you is more of a hunch than a forecast.
Vocabulary lists containing forecast
Power Prefix: fore-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Physical Geography - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Cornwall Insight, the consultancy, has forecast that a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity, paid through direct debit, will pay £1,729 a year from October.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
However, its earnings guidance for the current quarter came in short of Wall Street’s forecast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
With scorching temperatures forecast this week across Southern California, L.A. city and county agencies are preparing for worst-case scenarios.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
During the morning on Wednesday, the storms may spread further north into the Midlands and the Peak District but the forecast becomes less certain in terms of location and intensity.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The man at the airport in Manchester had certainly seen the right weather forecast.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
The Danish drugmaker recently raised its guidance and now forecasts sales growth ranging from flat to minus 6%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Finally, the strategist said she’s seeing signs of “AI fatigue” among growth investors, who are looking for diversification from pure artificial intelligence via companies with buy ratings offering high long-term growth forecasts.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
For these stocks and others that passed the screen, the question is whether or not the companies can meet or exceed these forecasts for very strong revenue growth.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Holden, like other analysts, forecasts the banks’ results will look similar to last quarter, with rising investment banking and trading revenue, improving commercial loan growth, and signs credit losses won’t be a concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The weather forecasts warned of possible tornadoes that day.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
That has the ironic consequence of increasing the forecasted return of the stock market relative to the bond market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Maybank’s Brian Lee said inflation likely remains contained, with the core print unlikely to exceed the MAS’s forecasted range of 1.5% to 2.5% on a strong Singapore dollar and soft labor market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"The hype is definitely here for the World Cup, it'll be here until the World Cup ends," he forecasted.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
NATS, the UK's air traffic control service, said "weather disruption was expected to continue through the rest of the day" after "forecasted severe weather across the south east of England".
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Moreover, the world down there was far warmer than anyone had expected, with a temperature at 10,000 meters of 180 degrees centigrade, nearly twice the forecasted level.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
The weather service is forecasting high temperatures of up to 108 degrees across the lower mountains and foothills and Cuyama Valley, according to the red flag warning, which goes into effect at 10 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
"We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event", said Prof Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at the UK Met Office.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Their conclusion: “Human-made forecasting is still the best way to go, and even that is still wrong.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
He served from 2008 to 2014 as Mr. Putin’s deputy minister of economic development, overseeing forecasting, strategic planning and budgeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It never would have occurred to me those words were forecasting my imminent and terrifying future.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
