predict

verb

pri-ˈdikt How to pronounce predict (audio)
Definition of predictnext
as in to read
to tell of or describe beforehand I can't even begin to predict what housing prices will be like 30 years from now

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word predict different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of predict are forecast, foretell, prognosticate, and prophesy. While all these words mean "to tell beforehand," predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature.

astronomers predicted an eclipse

How are the words forecast and predict related?

Forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties.

forecast snow

Where would foretell be a reasonable alternative to predict?

While the synonyms foretell and predict are close in meaning, foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information.

seers foretold the calamity

How does the word prognosticate relate to other synonyms for predict?

Prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy.

prognosticating the future

When can prophesy be used instead of predict?

The words prophesy and predict can be used in similar contexts, but prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises.

prophesying a new messiah

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of predict In fact, 76 percent of workers predict an increase in layoffs this year, while an overwhelming 92 percent are bracing for a possible recession. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025 Though the deadline is April 15, the IRS predicted in January that more than 140 million individual tax returns for the tax year 2024 would be filed ahead of the deadline. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 Apr. 2025 Analysts have predicted an overwhelming victory for the interim president who led the coup. —CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025 The National Interagency Fire Center, which issues wildfire outlooks nationwide every quarter, predicted the spring will be ripe for wildfires in South Florida and the state. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for predict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predict
  1. read
  2. anticipate
  3. foretell
  4. forecast
  5. warn
  6. prognosticate
  7. presage
  8. announce
Verb
  • As the verdict was read, Way looked straight ahead.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Way, who smiled as the initial $4 million verdict was read, was cleared on claims of false imprisonment and constructive discharge.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of read
Verb
  • Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22) Stuck in the past or anticipating the future?
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
  • While dealerships struggle to anticipate demand later in the year, foot traffic is up in recent weeks even as dealers hedge on how to stock their inventories.
    — Pat Maio, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of anticipate
Verb
  • Even as Miyazaki’s style proves memetic in this moment, his work might foretell the future of aesthetics, too.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2025
  • This very different film is a dark comedy about a toy monkey that foretells and causes brutal deaths.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of foretell
Verb
  • Chipotle, like other restaurants and fast-food chains that rely on supplies from Mexico, also forecast tepid annual comparable sales growth, bracing for a hit from inflation.
    — Ananya Mariam Rajesh, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Google's legal team will forecast a world in which Chrome has become less secure without Google's involvement, the Chromium project has crumbled, and browser choice has cratered.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
Definition of forecast
Verb
  • Take the quiz here … TOURIST TERROR – US embassy in hot spot issues assault warning for women renting jet skis.
    — FOXNews.com, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This rare dissent comes as the stock market shows signs of volatility, and economists warn the tariffs could trigger a recession.
    — Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of warn
Verb
  • But our sorry showing in the early rounds undercuts any claim to prognosticating success.
    — Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Most other publications didn’t even bother prognosticating.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of prognosticate
Verb
  • Ryan Coogler first turned heads with his 2013 debut Fruitvale Station, a shattering account of a fatal shooting that presaged the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This belief justified, in their eyes, the use of indiscriminate violence against the Muslim minority—presaging, in Wagner’s view, the abuses of the post-9/11 era.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of presage
Verb
  • This month, the United Nations World Food Program announced that the Trump administration was terminating emergency food assistance for 14 fragile countries around the world.
    — Declan Walsh, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • One of North Crowley’s best defenders announced his next step.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of announce

Browse Nearby Words

predicating
predict
predictability
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Cite this Entry

“Predict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predict. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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