predict
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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predictabilitynoun
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mispredictverb
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predictableadjective
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unpredictedadjective
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unpredictingadjective
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predictablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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predictsimple
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predictssimple
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have predictedperfect
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has predictedperfect
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am predictingprogressive
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are predictingprogressive
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is predictingprogressive
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have been predictingperfect progressive
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has been predictingperfect progressive
Past
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predictedsimple
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had predictedperfect
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was predictingprogressive
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were predictingprogressive
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had been predictingperfect progressive
Future
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; see pre-, dictum
Explanation
To predict is to say what you think is going to happen in the future. If you predict that you'll win the poker championship, you're either really confident in your poker skills or you're cheating. The prefix pre means "before." Dict comes from the Latin dicere, which means "to say," yet you can use predict to refer to things that can't say anything at all. Darkening skies can predict a coming storm, for example, and a runny nose can predict a cold. You can predict something based on factual evidence, or on a crystal-ball reading, or just on plain intuition.
Vocabulary lists containing predict
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
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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:
And as much as we try, no one can predict the future.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Aortic dissections are sudden, often lethal and notoriously difficult to predict even in patients under close medical supervision.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
I predict a self-identifying Chinese style will assert itself globally, like the “Cool Britannia” era of the 1990s, when London’s cultural vision shaped everything from clothes to concert halls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Researchers found that oak trees continue absorbing carbon dioxide well after their annual growth has ended, suggesting forests may store less carbon in wood than many climate models currently predict.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
According to the two scientists, it was impossible to exactly predict anything, and the volcano seemed capable of doing everything … or nothing.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
One more remaining factor may undermine the dollar in the future, Sachdeva predicts: it’s the fundamental cheapness of Asian currencies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Kori Adelson, president of North Road Films — one of the financiers behind “Backrooms” — predicts this shift also will change how studios weigh “price point to risk.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
In her dissent, Sotomayor predicts that the ruling will cause chaos by creating tremendous legal uncertainty.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Should the current trends continue, UN-Habitat predicts more than half of Kenya's population will be living in towns or cities by 2050.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The uncertainty principle also predicts that there will be similar virtual pairs of matter particles, such as electrons or quarks.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
With a flurry of major sporting events unfolding, she predicted that the excitement around this seemingly minor find would ignite a digital storm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
One analyst who predicted it from first principles was Joachim Klement, a managing director at U.K. investment bank Panmure Liberum.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Wave theory predicted that a bright point should appear in the center of the disc's shadow, where complete darkness would otherwise be expected.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Some scouts have predicted he could go higher than his brother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The zit, miraculously, just as Anastasia predicted, seems to be gone.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
More of England and Wales will experience highs around the 30C mark, with some weather models predicting isolated peaks of 34 or 35C.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Later, physicist Yakov Zel'dovich expanded on this concept, predicting that waves interacting with an object rotating fast enough could also gain energy and become amplified.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Some analysts are predicting oil prices—currently around $70 a barrel—will fall even more in the months ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
More: Researchers cracked the code on predicting market bubbles.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
When the first two tsunami warnings, predicting 10-and 20-foot waves, were announced on TV, he ordered all workers to evacuate to either the seismic isolated building or high ground.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
