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
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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:
On Wednesday, the BGA, Germany’s main trade association, hiked its export growth forecast for this year to 1% from 0.6%, boosted by solid demand within Europe, but signaled the global trade remained highly uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The heat will still be in force on Thursday, with forecast highs of 101 in Paso Robles, 100 in Woodland Hills, 99 in Santa Clarita; 96 in Burbank, Pasadena and Palmdale; 94 in downtown L.A.,
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Having spent $8.28 billion in the first half, Tesla would need to spend more than $16.7 billion in the second half to meet that forecast.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
South Korean titan Samsung's shares fell as it forecast a more than 780 percent leap in third-quarter operating profit -- thanks to high memory chip prices -- but missed expectations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
My forecast was that after nineteen years, many blows weathered, all his shipmates lost, himself unrecognized by anyone, he would come home.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Stellar corporate earnings and forecasts have helped stocks tread water even as valuations have dropped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Sea levels are already significantly above the official tide forecasts, which are generated years in advance and don’t account for an El Niño.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It is expected to reach hurricane strength late on Wednesday or early Thursday with forecasts suggesting it could then intensify to a category two storm.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Leading economic institutes recently upgraded their growth forecasts for the Germany economy for 2026 to 1.3 percent, saying it had weathered the fallout from the Iran war better than feared.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The weather forecasts warned of possible tornadoes that day.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
However, “if there are storms forecasted or a high tide coming up, that is when the Kelvin wave could exacerbate damages.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The NPS said on Monday that a second body had been recovered, while warning that "forecasted weather may affect the timing and pace" of further search operations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
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’s a level often viewed as fairly valued, although PEG ratios rely heavily on forecasted growth, which is based on Wall Street estimates and can be misleading at times.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The weatherman had forecasted a record high for the day of the meet.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
However, long-range forecasting is fraught with uncertainty and while the season as a whole may be mild, some chilly interludes are also anticipated.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Last year, Nardi and Mazzini also published research forecasting an increase in MHWs along the U.S.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
A much bigger drop is likely to be seen with EV sales, with Cox forecasting a 45% year-over-year decline for the third quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Adobe expects Cyber Monday to remain the biggest online shopping day of the season, forecasting $15.1 billion in a single day of sales, or up 6.2% year over year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Some pundits, not just from the Soviet Union, were forecasting Tal to be the winner.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
