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.
-
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
-
had forecastperfect
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had forecastedperfect
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was forecastingprogressive
-
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:
There is a lot of uncertainty in the long-range forecast and you can keep up to date with your local prospects on the BBC Weather website and app.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Bank of Korea is widely expected to raise its growth forecast at its policy meeting on Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
This year’s is forecast to be $1.85 trillion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The app may display that forecast with a partly cloudy icon for the region, which will be correct for 70 percent of the area, but not for the 30 percent that actually gets pouring rain.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Bored, I stifle a yawn and stare out at the empty courtyard, the cold winds and the forecast of snow driving everyone inside.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
"I have never seen an El Niño signal this intense in our forecasts."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Global weather forecasts are made using predictive models—huge mathematical systems with thousands of lines of code, run on supercomputers,” he said.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
The dashboard also aggregates forecasts that put El Nino on course to peak at a 3.9C anomaly this November -- well above the 3C anomaly detected in the 2015 El Nino.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
On an adjusted basis, earnings per share are expected at $3.86, the midpoint of a range of $3.71 to $4.01, ahead of forecasts of $3.54 a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“It has been my experience that apocalyptic forecasts on the U.S. financial markets are rarely realized within limited horizons,” one investor wrote to Burry.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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
“Gas prices have recovered since the April lows, and we believe Henry Hub has more room to run, especially if the forecasted heat shows up in the coming weeks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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
The company now anticipates spending between $125 billion and $145 billion in 2026, up from a forecasted range of $115 billion to $135 billion previously.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
In the decade following the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens, scientists accurately forecasted fourteen subsequent eruptions to within days or weeks.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Their conclusion: “Human-made forecasting is still the best way to go, and even that is still wrong.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 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
Ahead of the decision to hold off on the new tariffs, analysts had been forecasting that Trump would back down.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Such monitoring could improve space weather forecasting and contribute to safer, more dependable satellite operations in the future.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Now the experts hustled to explain their faulty forecasting.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
