predict
Americanverb (used with object)
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predicts,
present (3rd person singular)
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predicted,
past participle, past
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predicting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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predicts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
predicted,
past participle, past
-
predicting
present participle
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:
Generative AI relies on underlying patterns from existing data to predict and produce new outputs, rather than just copying or sorting existing information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Economists predict a 53,000 increase in new jobs in August based on information collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
All 12 economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal predict the Bank of Canada will hold its overnight rate target steady at 2.25% on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Other related lawsuits are pending across the U.S., so some legal experts predict that the Supreme Court will make the ultimate call on how to regulate or at least categorize these platforms.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
They were in Washington to help try to predict the volcano’s next move.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The model predicts atmospheric temperature, composition and clouds, along with the infrared spectrum each object should produce.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight predicts Ofgem's cap on household price rises, which is set every three months, will go up by 4% when it is announced on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Morgan Stanley predicts overall humanoid-robot shipments in China will reach 50,000 units this year and more than 440,000 by 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
With unseasonably warm weather and the start of an El Niño cycle, Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab Director Chris Lowe predicts this sighting is just the start of a ‘very sharky summer.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
This year he predicts our lives will twist inside out.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
By next year, their range will double to 3,000 miles, predicted Krot, chief executive and founder of the Mammoth’s manufacturer, Culver Aerospace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Dickinson said the true cost of the DMV’s new regulations is predicted to exceed $280 million in the first year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
He also predicted ripple effects across other modes of transportation, such as rail.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Elon Musk recently predicted $1 trillion in annual SpaceX revenue by the end of the decade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Thus in 1705 Hailey, having noticed that a particularly bright comet reappeared roughly every seventy-five years, predicted that the comet now known as Hailey’s Comet would return in 1758.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Therefore the plans are "irrelevant in terms of economic policy", the institute's president Reint Gropp told AFP, predicting that they "will not be implemented".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Strategists Jay Barry and Jason Hunter are predicting fallout from the Treasury’s move that they see as not even needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
These are the reasons I am predicting a Premier League drop-off for the Cherries - but would not be surprised to see this one defied.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Understanding how natural emissions influences clouds is critical for predicting climate changes in this region.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
Professor Rolf Eliassen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology testified before a congressional committee to the impossibility of predicting the composite effect of these chemicals, or of identifying the organic matter resulting from the mixture.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
