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
-
predictabilitynoun
-
mispredictverb
-
predictableadjective
-
unpredictedadjective
-
unpredictingadjective
-
predictablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
predictsimple
-
predictssimple
-
have predictedperfect
-
has predictedperfect
-
am predictingprogressive
-
are predictingprogressive
-
is predictingprogressive
-
have been predictingperfect progressive
-
has been predictingperfect progressive
Past
-
predictedsimple
-
had predictedperfect
-
was predictingprogressive
-
were predictingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“Until we understand the full picture, we can’t responsibly predict a timeline or outcome. What we can promise is thorough, attentive care every step of the way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Imagine that it’s New Year’s Day and you’re trying to predict the stock market’s performance for the first half of 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The behaviour of our chaotic atmosphere generally becomes harder to predict the further into the future you gaze.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The researchers say more work is needed to predict how different species will respond in different environments.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
This seventeenth-century instrument, known as Galileo’s jovilabe, was used to predict the positions of Jupiter’s moons.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said it expected the dangerous conditions to continue through Friday, and that "our best model for smoke only predicts out to 48 hours."
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 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
The ultra-catchy pop-rock confection “Divine Intervention” has a verse about seeing someone wearing a sandwich board that predicts the end of the world as billionaires run for cover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
This level of investment is expected to quadruple the amount of total available hyperscale compute capacity to 120 gigawatts by 2028, Morgan Stanley predicts.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
This was the best kind of snow day, too, where the weather channel predicts a huge snowstorm, but it doesn’t end up snowing that much, and you can still do stuff.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
The Congressional Budget Office in January 2001 predicted such large future budget surpluses that it said all redeemable U.S. government debt could be paid off within five years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Plenty of movies are predicted to do well — or, like this year’s “The Bride!,” perform at least decently — yet bomb their opening weekend.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
More broadly, he said, he believes Microsoft is a “quality business with little downside,” and he predicted that the stock’s breakout will take place in the coming quarters.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The method previously indicated that Solar Cycle 25 would be more active than many earlier forecasts had predicted.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
He admitted that eating without fillings was “uncomfortable,” but it was better than the alternative of losing all of one’s teeth, which he predicted would happen if the fillings remained.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Yet these calculations are essential for predicting the behavior of quantum materials, including superconductors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Long-term investing has never been about predicting the perfect price.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
"Disruption of that flow," he says, "was playing an important role in predicting who would get dementia, in large numbers of people in the normal population."
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
But when it comes to predicting cliff collapses along California’s iconic shoreline, the science has been infamously tricky to pin down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The seismology section had a million probes down here, with a ninety-nine point eight success rate at predicting the magma flares.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.