predict

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Early 17th century, from Latin praedicō (“to mention beforehand”) (perfect passive participle praedictus), from prae- (“before”) + dīcō (“to say”). Equivalent to Germanic forespeak, foretell, and foresay.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɹɪˈdɪkt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪkt

Verb

predict (third-person singular simple present predicts, present participle predicting, simple past and past participle predicted)

  1. (transitive) To make a prediction: to forecast, foretell, or estimate a future event on the basis of knowledge and reasoning; to prophesy a future event on the basis of mystical knowledge or power.
    • 1590, E. Daunce, A Briefe Discourse on the Spanish State, section 40:
      After he had renounced his fathers bishoprick of Valentia in Spaine... and to attaine by degrees the Maiesty of Cesar, was created Duke of that place, gaue for his poesie, Aut Cesar, aut nihil. which being not fauoured from the heauens, had presently the euent the same predicted.
    • 1897 April 26, “Brooklyn Alumni Celebrate. Fifth Anniversary of the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy.”, in Caswell A. Mayo, Thomas J. Keenan, editors, American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record […], volume XXX, number 8 (373 overall), New York, N.Y.: American Druggist Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 236, column 3:
      He [John F. Golding] congratulated them on the success of their anniversary gathering and predicted still greater success for the future.
    • 2000 July 8, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “Mad-Eye Moody”, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter; 4), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 171:
      Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry’s death, which he found extremely annoying.
    • 2012, Jeremy Bernstein, “A Palette of Particles”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 146:
      The physics of elementary particles in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier.
  2. (transitive, of theories, laws, etc.) To imply.
    • 1886, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 177. 338:
      It is interesting to see how clearly theory predicts the difference between the ascending and descending curves of a dynamo.
    • 1996 June 3, Geoffrey Cowley, “The biology of beauty”, in Newsweek:
      For both men and women, greater symmetry predicted a larger number of past sex partners.
  3. (intransitive) To make predictions.
    • 1652, J. Gaule, Πυς-μαντια the mag-astro-mancer, 196
      The devil can both predict and make predictors.
  4. (transitive, military, rare) To direct a ranged weapon against a target by means of a predictor.
    • 1943, L. Cheshire, Bomber Pilot, iii. 57:
      They're predicting us now; looks like a barrage.

Conjugation

Conjugation of predict
infinitive (to) predict
present tense past tense
1st-person singular predict predicted
2nd-person singular predict, predictest† predicted, predictedst†
3rd-person singular predicts, predicteth† predicted
plural predict
subjunctive predict predicted
imperative predict —
participles predicting predicted

† Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

predict (plural predicts)

  1. (obsolete) A prediction.

Further reading

Middle French

Verb

predict

  1. past participle of predire

Spanish

Etymology

    Borrowed from English predict.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /pɾeˈdik/ [pɾeˈð̞ik]
      • Rhymes: -ik
    • IPA(key): /pɾeˈdiɡt/ [pɾeˈð̞iɣ̞t̪]
      • Rhymes: -iɡt
    • IPA(key): /ˈpɾedik/ [ˈpɾe.ð̞ik]
      • Rhymes: -edik
    • IPA(key): /ˈpɾediɡt/ [ˈpɾe.ð̞iɣ̞t̪]
      • Rhymes: -ediɡt
    • Syllabification: pre‧dict

    Noun

    predict m or f (plural predicts)

    1. (video games) prediction
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