Predict meanshas the definition or purpose of a word or idea to say what you think will happen in the future, or to show that something is likelyprobably true or expected to happen to happen. It is a common verb in everyday English, especially when talking about future events, results, or outcomesfinal results or things that happen after an event.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /prih-DIKT/
Easy pronunciation: prih-DIKT (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the second syllable.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Predict Meaning
to say in advance what you think will happen
Part of speech: verb
Definition: make a prediction about; tell in advance
Example: Scientists can sometimes predict the weather several days ahead.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- forecast — A strong everyday substitute when talking about future events, especially weather, trends, or results.
- foretell — A true synonym, though more formal or literary than predict.
- prognosticate — Means to predict, but it is quite formal and uncommon in everyday speech.
- anticipate — Can overlap with predict, but it more often means expect or look ahead rather than explicitly predict.
- call — Works in some informal contexts, especially when guessing an outcome, but it is less general than predict.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Predict
Meaning 2
to be a sign that something will happen
Part of speech: verb
Definition: indicate, as with a sign or an omen
Example: Dark clouds often predict rain.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- augur — A close synonym in this sense, especially in formal writing.
- betoken — Means to be a sign of something; formal or literary.
- bode — Often used in phrases like bode well or bode ill.
- portend — Means to signal or suggest something is coming, usually something important or serious.
- presage — A formal synonym meaning to be a sign of what is coming.
- foreshadow — Works when one thing gives an early sign of a later event.
- prefigure — Means to serve as an early sign or image of something later.
- omen — Can work as a related verb sense in some usages, but it is less common and more literary.
- forecast — Can overlap when something points to a future event, but it usually refers to making a prediction rather than being a sign.
- prognosticate — Can fit this sense in formal usage, though it is more commonly used for making predictions.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Predict Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- forecast
- foretell
- prognosticate
- anticipate
- call
to be a sign that something will happen
- augur
- betoken
- bode
- portend
- presage
- foreshadow
- prefigure
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use predict for the meaning 'promise' or 'guarantee'.
- Do not mix up 'predict' with words that only mean 'be a sign of' rather than 'say in advance'.
- Forecast is a close synonym, but it is especially common for weather, business, and trends.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the simple meaning of predict?
Predict means to say in advance what you think will happen.
What are the best synonyms for predict?
Good general synonyms are forecast and foretell. In some contexts, anticipate and call also work.
Is predict the same as forecast?
Often yes, but forecast is especially common for weather, trends, and outcomes.
Can predict mean 'to be a sign of'?
Yes. In that sense, something can predict another event by suggesting it is likely to happen.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-31. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Word data: predict
Data: Datamuse API. Bar lengths compare relevance scores only within each group, not real-world usage frequency or percentages.
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Source: Datamuse API
