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
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to serve as a prediction of; foreshadow.
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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
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forecasts
plural
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a prediction, especially as to the weather.
-
a conjecture as to something in the future.
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the act, practice, or faculty of forecasting.
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Archaic. foresight in planning.
- Synonyms:
- prescience, forethought
verb
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to predict or calculate (weather, events, etc), in advance
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(tr) to serve as an early indication of
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(tr) to plan in advance
noun
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a statement of probable future weather conditions calculated from meteorological data
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a prophecy or prediction
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the practice or power of forecasting
Synonym Usage
See predict.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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forecasternoun
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reforecastverb (used with object)
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forecastableadjective
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unforecastadjective
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unforecastedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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forecastsimple
-
forecastssimple
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have forecastperfect
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have forecastedperfect
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has forecastperfect
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has forecastedperfect
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am forecastingprogressive
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are forecastingprogressive
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is forecastingprogressive
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have been forecastingperfect progressive
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has been forecastingperfect progressive
Past
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forecastsimple
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forecastedsimple
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had forecastperfect
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had forecastedperfect
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was forecastingprogressive
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were forecastingprogressive
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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-
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Physical Geography - Introductory
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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:
The storms and downpours which will have brought flash flooding and hail are forecast to continue into Thursday.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
In 2001, after four straight years of budget surpluses, the CBO released a 10-year forecast projecting that the national debt would be eliminated by 2009.
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
However, due to the hit-and-miss nature of showers, some places will miss the rain and weather apps may struggle to get the detail of the forecast correct.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Winston, however, in rewriting the forecast, marked the figure down to fifty-seven millions, so as to allow for the usual claim that the quota had been overfilled.
From "1984" by George Orwell
The forecasts came as the company recorded a lower profit in its latest quarter, despite higher revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The bank raises its 2026 sales forecasts by 5%, largely due to higher forecasts for diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, partially offset by slowing launch momentum of oral Wegovy in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The commerce group, which also owns Chinese shopping platform Pinduoduo, said net profits declined 12% from the same period of the previous year to RMB27.2 billion, but was above forecasts of RMB27.4 billion, per LSEG.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
It said non-GAAP net income was RMB28.5 billion, down 13% from the same period of the previous year, but about 5% higher than forecasts.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
So the citizens of Oxford read the weather forecasts in the newspaper, and enjoyed the pale sun on their faces, and began to put their sandbags away.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Last season, only four teams featured in the forecasted top-four positions, but this time there are seven named, in 15 different combinations.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
That has the ironic consequence of increasing the forecasted return of the stock market relative to the bond market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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
Economists have forecasted those pressures are delaying a strong recovery in single-family housing starts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The weatherman had forecasted a record high for the day of the meet.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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
Valuation indicators are more helpful for long-term forecasting than short-term market timing.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
The forecasting exercise Warsh participated in from 2007-11 received less attention than it does today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 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
Against his bleak forecasting is set my mother’s cheerfulness, in retrospect profoundly willed.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
