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.
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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
-
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
-
to predict or calculate (weather, events, etc), in advance
-
(tr) to serve as an early indication of
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(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
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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
-
have forecastperfect
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have forecastedperfect
-
has forecastperfect
-
has forecastedperfect
-
am forecastingprogressive
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are forecastingprogressive
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is forecastingprogressive
-
have been forecastingperfect progressive
-
has been forecastingperfect progressive
Past
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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-
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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:
Silver’s “increasing industrial utility” underpins the metal’s growing physical scarcity, he noted, with the physical-market forecast to remain in deficit for the sixth straight year in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026
Storms are most often named when potentially damaging winds are forecast, but can also be named for flooding rain or disruptive snow.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
In what’s forecast to be a close race, even a marginal number of such voters could matter.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Citi lowers its third-quarter exceptional cost forecast to 8 billion euros from over 9 billion euros, but keeps its 2 billion euro expectation for the fourth quarter and 6 billion euros in full-year 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Because if Eddie and I were still talking, she’d probably be here with us today, chattering on about how excited she was for this forecast.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Only around 1993 did that accuracy begin to falter and the global population began falling behind the forecasts — because the world began to do what von Foerster and his colleagues recommended it do.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
The article was regularly cited, and its predictions appeared remarkably accurate — until around 1993, halfway to the predicted “doomsday,” when the global population began falling behind its forecasts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
He forecasts net profit will grow at a 17% compound annual rate to 3.4 billion ringgit by 2028, supported by improved product mix and lower reliance on external alumina supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
He said investors should focus on earnings forecasts, profitability, cash flow and commitments to AI spending.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 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
“When a wind event, Red Flag Warning, low humidity period, or other elevated fire weather is forecasted after a wildland fire, departments should reassess recently controlled fire areas before the weather arrives,” the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 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
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
They concluded that “the consensus view of $178 appears to underestimate peak EPS relative to our forecasted distribution of outcomes.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
The weatherman had forecasted a record high for the day of the meet.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
"AI has really revolutionised weather forecasting in the sense that you can actually now predict weather much faster, with a really high skill and with a high performance," Pappenberger told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The data support weather forecasting by providing timely observations of environmental conditions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Eastern on Wednesday, with Wall Street analysts forecasting the month-on-month core print, which omits energy and food, to fall to 0.2% from 0.3% in August.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Looking ahead, we are forecasting consumption growth to remain resilient, even if it slows from its strong pace of 0.4% in the second quarter,” Chambers added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
At sunset, clouds piled up like purple mountains, forecasting rain.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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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.
