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
-
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
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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
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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-
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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
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a 0.8% increase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Jake gave her the extended five-day forecast complete with information about the fluctuating barometric pressure.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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
The bank increases its forecasts for management fee pretax profit across its projection period by up to 5% as a result.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Instead, there are individual forecasts with no discernible connection between the rate forecast and economic outcomes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
I switch on my reading lamp and listen to the shipping forecasts on the radio on low volume.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
“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 company delivered sales near the high end of its forecasted range, but Wall Street was expecting more, and the stock had its worst day in more than a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 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
Management forecasted revenue of $650 million, missing Wall Street estimates of $807 million.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Because if I didn’t beat Elliot in this, he would go on to the next level of the Academy, and I’d be left behind, waiting for whatever awful future the letter forecasted to come true.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Saudi Arabia saw one of the sharpest falls in projected growth, with the IMF forecasting a contraction of 3.3 percent -- a cut in the forecast of 5.0 percentage points.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 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
“I make my living forecasting the future for people,” he said.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
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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.
