prediction
Americannoun
-
an act of predicting.
-
an instance of this; prophecy.
- Synonyms:
- projection, divination, prognostication, augury, forecast
noun
-
the act of predicting
-
something predicted; a forecast, prophecy, etc
Usage
What does prediction mean? A prediction is a statement about what someone thinks will happen in the future. People make predictions all the time. Some are very serious and are based on scientific calculations, but many are just guesses. Example: Here’s a prediction: in 20 years, we’ll all drive less and eat a lot less meat.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prediction
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin praedictiōn-, stem of praedictiō “prophecy”; equivalent to predict + -ion
Explanation
I have a prediction: You’ll know what this word means by the time you finish reading this explanation. A prediction is what someone thinks will happen. A prediction is a forecast, but not only about the weather. Pre means “before” and diction has to do with talking. So a prediction is a statement about the future. It’s a guess, sometimes based on facts or evidence, but not always. A fortune teller makes a prediction using a crystal ball. A meteorologist uses maps and scientific data to tell us about the possibility of rain, snow or sunshine. And when I made the prediction that you would understand what this word meant, it was based on instinct, a gut feeling telling me what would happen next.
Vocabulary lists containing prediction
You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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The Scientific Method
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List 6
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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:
Already the prediction platforms have had to police for this possibility.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Crypto.com launched its stand-alone prediction markets platform OG in February.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
That’s the prediction of Russell Clark, founder of award-winning London-based hedge fund Brumby Capital.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
To build these structural models, the team used a modified version of AlphaFold, the Nobel prize-winning protein structure prediction algorithm.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Fortunately, the prediction was incorrect,” she went on.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
Put aside the broader question of whether predictions markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are simply dressed-up gambling forums that are already illegal under many states’ anti-gaming laws.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Big companies are starting to hire again, defying predictions of an AI wipeout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Despite the medium’s many scholars and the mathematicians working hard to calculate box office predictions and forecast trends, film is not an exact science.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
As we head through the second half of summer, what are the longer range predictions, and are we heading into drought for the second summer in a row?
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
If from some stock-market adviser you received in the mail for six weeks in a row correct predictions on a certain stock index and were asked to pay for the seventh such prediction, would you?
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
