predictor
Americannoun
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a person or thing that predicts.
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Mathematics. a formula for determining additional values or derivatives of a function from the relationship of its given values.
noun
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a person or thing that predicts
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an instrument, used in conjunction with an anti-aircraft gun, that determines the speed, distance, height, and direction of hostile aircraft
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statistics a more modern term for independent variable
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of predictor
From the Medieval Latin word praedictor, dating back to 1645–55. See predict, -tor
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:
Rectal bleeding was the strongest predictor of a colorectal cancer diagnosis, raising the odds by 8.5 times.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The core rate is a better predictor of inflation trends in the long run.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Early number sense is the single best predictor of academic success in elementary school,” Klein said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
As it stands, the predictor has them playing Mexico on Tuesday - a shot at redemption or another trip to a torture chamber?
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Whether or not a child cheated on, say, the word completion test was not an iron-clad predictor of whether he or she would cheat on, say, the underlining ^4’s part of the speed test.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Mr. Friedman cites research that “people’s belief about their team’s ability is one of the best predictors of a team’s actual performance,” yet there is still potential for bias.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"These findings are particularly concerning because persistence is foundational to skill acquisition and is one of the strongest predictors of long-term learning," the authors wrote.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Values and goals for the future are two of the biggest predictors of long-term compatibility.”
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
"With the rise of wearables and long-term tracking in humans, I'm excited to see whether the same principles -- early predictors, staged aging, divergent trajectories -- hold true in people."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026
Owls, too, are sure predictors of death, and may be heard hooting in the most doleful manner outside the house of anyone doomed to die shortly.
From Animal Ghosts Or, Animal Hauntings and the Hereafter by O'Donnell, Elliott
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.
