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:
That moment could arrive Wednesday, when Warsh takes questions following a decision markets couldn’t confidently predict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
No one can predict when a life-changing moment will happen in their lives and the same goes for Hana, the patient, and everyone else.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
We can predict the conditions that will lead to these fires, but we won't know exactly where they are.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Note that, even assuming the spread expands, we can’t predict whether Treasury rates themselves will be higher or lower.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
They were in Washington to help try to predict the volcano’s next move.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
A recent report in the Journal of Periodontology predicts that technology such as AI, diagnostic saliva tests and sensor-based monitoring will allow for more early detection and individualized treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
This is the trifecta, Gromen predicts for China versus the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Even if a future leader wanted to reverse Trump's duties, revenue considerations will complicate the situation, Lipsky predicts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Our mistakes will again be forgotten,” Odysseus predicts as the land he loves sails into the Dark Ages while he steers the helm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But what he hadn't done was quite important—he hadn't gotten Katherine III on paper, and one cannot take an equation that predicts eighteen out of nineteen Katherines to the Nobel Prize Committee.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
Then Kent predicted that Baker will return next year to take his place among baseball’s immortals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Any delays or downsizing to the scheduled IPOs of Anthropic or OpenAI this year would prompt serious weakness in the sector overall, Miller predicted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sipe of the University of Toronto, who collaborated with the researchers on an earlier project, had predicted that such an "electron lighthouse" could be created.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Temperatures are also predicted to rise again in France, which is battling two major fires on its Atlantic coast.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“It goes on to say the speaker predicted the triumphant election of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin in next month’s election ‘by a splendid popular majority.’”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
This year, scientists are predicting that El Nino could rank among the largest ever recorded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Some CEOs are using AI tools to trim their workforces and predicting that white collar jobs will vanish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Cherubim and his colleagues developed a theoretical model predicting that the upper atmosphere of LHS 1140 b would contain large amounts of helium slowly escaping into space.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Long-term investing has never been about predicting the perfect price.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 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.
