predict
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Related Words
Predict, prophesy, foresee, forecast mean to know or tell (usually correctly) beforehand what will happen. To predict is usually to foretell with precision of calculation, knowledge, or shrewd inference from facts or experience: The astronomers can predict an eclipse; it may, however, be used without the implication of underlying knowledge or expertise: I predict she'll be a success at the party. Prophesy usually means to predict future events by the aid of divine or supernatural inspiration: Merlin prophesied the two knights would meet in conflict; this verb, too, may be used in a more general, less specific sense. I prophesy he'll be back in the old job. To foresee refers specifically not to the uttering of predictions but to the mental act of seeing ahead; there is often (but not always) a practical implication of preparing for what will happen: He was clever enough to foresee this shortage of materials. Forecast has much the same meaning as predict; it is used today particularly of the weather and other phenomena that cannot easily be accurately predicted: Rain and snow are forecast for tonight. Economists forecast a rise in family income.
Other Word Forms
- mispredict verb
- predictability noun
- predictable adjective
- predictably adverb
- unpredicted adjective
- unpredicting adjective
Etymology
Origin of predict
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praedictus, past participle of praedīcere “to foretell,” equivalent to prae- “before, earlier” + dic-, variant stem of dīcere “to say” + -tus past participle suffix; pre-, dictum
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.
Still, he added, the days ahead are full of extreme uncertainty: “It’s a kind of situation where it’s difficult to predict how long it will last—and, more importantly, how it would eventually end.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
For travelers through Atlanta, the lines are hard to predict, swinging from multiple hours at peak times to just minutes during slower spells.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Poppies here have typically peaked around mid-April, but variable weather in recent years has made it hard to predict, she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Wall Street estimates predict at least a doubling of robo-taxi activity each year for the next few years.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
“A fancy fortune-teller with a bunch of college degrees. He uses science and computers to predict the future. He can tell you what’s going to happen in ten, twenty years.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
