forecast

English

Etymology

From Middle English forecasten, forcasten, equivalent to fore- +‎ cast. The noun is from Middle English forecast, forcast.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːkɑːst/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹkæst/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈfoːkaːst/

Verb

forecast (third-person singular simple present forecasts, present participle forecasting, simple past and past participle forecast or forecasted)

1. To estimate how something will be in the future.

   to forecast the weather, or a storm

   to forecast a rise in prices

   • 2020 May 6, Graeme Pickering, “Borders Railway: time for the next step”, in Rail, page 52:

     Within six months, the total number of passengers forecast to use the line in the entire first year (650,000) had already been passed. For the first 12 months, the figure was in excess of 1.2 million. And overall, it has grown year-on-year, reaching over two million in 2018-19.

2. To foreshadow; to suggest something in advance.
3. (obsolete) To contrive or plan beforehand.
   • 1626 (date written), John Milton, “At a Vacation Exercise in the Colledge, […]”, in Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions, London: […] Tho[mas] Dring […], published 1673, →OCLC, page 64:

     And, if it happen as I did forecaſt, / The dainteſt diſhes ſhall be ſerv'd up laſt.

Translations

estimate future conditions

• Afrikaans: voorspel
• Arabic: تَنَبَّأَ (tanabbaʔa)
• Armenian: կանխատեսել (hy) (kanxatesel)
• Belarusian: прадка́зваць impf (pradkázvacʹ), прадказа́ць pf (pradkazácʹ), прагназава́ць impf (prahnazavácʹ), прагназі́раваць impf (prahnazíravacʹ)
• Bulgarian: предви́ждам (bg) (predvíždam), предска́звам (bg) (predskázvam)
• Catalan: predir (ca), preveure (ca), pronosticar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 預測 / 预测 (zh) (yùcè), 預報 / 预报 (zh) (yùbào)

• Czech: předpovídat (cs) impf, předpovědět pf
• Dutch: voorspellen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: ennustaa (fi), ennakoida (fi)
• French: prévoir (fr), pronostiquer (fr)
• Georgian: წინასწარმეტყველებს (c̣inasc̣armeṭq̇velebs), განჭვრეტს (ganč̣vreṭs), პროგნოზირებს (ṗrognozirebs), პროგნოზს აკეთებს (ṗrognozs aḳetebs)
• German: vorhersagen (de), prognostizieren (de)
• Greek: προβλέπω (el) (provlépo)
• Hawaiian: wānana
• Indonesian: ramal (id), meramal (id), mengira (id), memperkirakan (id)
• Italian: prevedere (it)
• Japanese: 予想する (ja) (よそうする, yosō suru)
• Korean: 예상하다 (ko) (yesanghada)
• Maori: matapae
• Norwegian: forutsi (no), predikere
• Persian: پیش‌بینی کردن (piš-bini kardan)
• Polish: przepowiadać (pl) impf, przepowiedzieć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: prever (pt)
• Russian: предска́зывать (ru) impf (predskázyvatʹ), предсказа́ть (ru) pf (predskazátʹ), прогнози́ровать (ru) impf (prognozírovatʹ), спрогнози́ровать (ru) pf (sprognozírovatʹ)
• Slovak: predpovedať impf or pf
• Slovene: napovedati (sl)
• Spanish: predecir (es), pronosticar (es)
• Swedish: förutsäga (sv), förutse (sv)
• Thai: พยากรณ์ (th) (pá-yaa-gɔɔn), ทำนาย (th) (tam-naai)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: передбача́ти impf (peredbačáty), передба́чити pf (peredbáčyty), прогнозува́ти impf (prohnozuváty), спрогнозува́ти pf (sprohnozuváty)
• Welsh: proffwydo (cy)

Noun

forecast (plural forecasts)

1. An estimation of a future condition.
   1. A prediction of the weather.

      The forecast said it'll be blowy tomorrow

      • 2024 April 19, Charles Hugh Smith, Living on Uneasy Street‎^[1]:

        It's nice to anticipate sunny weather, but it's a good idea to carry an umbrella just in case the forecasts prove overly optimistic.

2. (gambling) exacta

Translations

estimation of future condition

• Afrikaans: voorspelling
• Albanian: parashikim (sq) m
• Arabic: تَوَقُّع m (tawaqquʕ)
• Armenian: կանխատեսում (hy) (kanxatesum), պրոգնոզ (hy) (prognoz)
• Azerbaijani: proqnoz
• Belarusian: прагно́з m (prahnóz), прадказа́нне n (pradkazánnje)
• Bengali: পূর্বানুমান (purbanuman), পূর্বাভাস (bn) (purbabhaś)
• Bulgarian: предви́ждане (bg) n (predvíždane), прогно́за (bg) f (prognóza)
• Burmese: ခန့်မှန်းချက် (hkan.hman:hkyak)
• Catalan: previsió (ca) f, pronòstic m, predicció (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 預報 / 预报 (zh) (yùbào), 預測 / 预测 (zh) (yùcè)

• Czech: předpověď (cs) f
• Danish: forudsigelse c, udsigt c
• Dutch: voorspelling (nl) f, schatting (nl) f
• Esperanto: prognozo
• Estonian: ennustus, prognoos
• Finnish: ennuste (fi), ennakkoarvio
• French: prévision (fr) f
• Galician: prognóstico (gl)
• Georgian: პროგნოზი (ṗrognozi), წინასწარმეტყველება (c̣inasc̣armeṭq̇veleba)
• German: Schätzung (de) f, Vorhersage (de) f, Prognose (de) f
• Greek: πρόβλεψη (el) f (próvlepsi)
• Hebrew: תַּחֲזִית (he) f (takhazít)
• Hindi: पूर्वानुमान (hi) m (pūrvānumān), पेशगोई (hi) f (peśgoī)
• Hungarian: becslés (hu)
• Icelandic: spá (is) f
• Indonesian: prakiraan (id), ramalan (id)
• Irish: réamhaisnéis f
• Italian: previsione (it)
• Japanese: 予想 (ja) (よそう, yosō), 予報 (ja) (よほう, yohō)
• Kazakh: болжам (kk) (boljam), болжал (boljal)
• Korean: 예상(豫想) (ko) (yesang), 예보(豫報) (ko) (yebo)
• Kyrgyz: болжол (ky) (boljol), прогноз (prognoz)
• Latvian: prognoze f
• Lithuanian: prognozė (lt) f
• Macedonian: прогно́за f (prognóza)
• Malay: ramalan (ms)
• Maori: matapae
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: varsling m or f

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: پیش‌بینی (fa) (piš-bini), پیش‌گویی (fa) (piš-guyi)

• Polish: prognoza (pl) f, zapowiedź (pl) f
• Portuguese: previsão (pt) f
• Romanian: prognoză (ro) f
• Russian: предсказа́ние (ru) n (predskazánije), прогно́з (ru) m (prognóz), предви́дение (ru) n (predvídenije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: прогно́за f, предсказање n

  Roman: prognóza (sh) f, predskazanje (sh) n

• Slovak: predpoveď f
• Slovene: napoved f
• Spanish: pronóstico (es) m, previsión (es) f
• Swahili: utabiri (sw) class u
• Swedish: förhandsberäkning c, utsikt (sv) c
• Tagalog: hulaysay
• Tajik: пешгӯӣ (pešgüi), пешбинӣ (pešbini)
• Thai: การพยากรณ์ (th) (gaan-pá-yaa-gɔɔn)
• Turkish: tahmin (tr)
• Ukrainian: прогно́з (uk) m (prohnóz), передба́чення (uk) n (peredbáčennja)
• Urdu: پیش گوئی f (peś goī)
• Uzbek: bashorat (uz), prognoz (uz)
• Vietnamese: dự báo (預報), dự đoán (vi) (預斷)

weather prediction — see weather forecast

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} ramalan (id)

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• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} تَوَقُّعَات طَقْس f pl (tawaqquʕāt ṭaqs)
• Armenian: ^{(please verify)} եղանակի տեսություն (eġanaki tesutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: ^{(please verify)} proqnoz
• Belarusian: ^{(please verify)} прагно́з m (prahnóz)
• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} прогно́за (bg) f (prognóza)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 預報 / 预报 (zh) (yùbào), ^{(please verify)} 天氣預報 / 天气预报 (tiānqì yùbào)

• Czech: ^{(please verify)} předpověď (cs) f
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} weersvoorspelling (nl) f
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} prognoos
• French: ^{(please verify)} prévision (fr) f, ^{(please verify)} prévision météorologique f, ^{(please verify)} prévision météo f
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} პროგნოზი (ṗrognozi), ^{(please verify)} ამინდის პროგნოზი (amindis ṗrognozi)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Wettervorhersage (de) f, ^{(please verify)} Vorhersage (de) f, ^{(please verify)} Wettervorhersage (de) f
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} पूर्वानुमान (hi) m (pūrvānumān)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} időjárásjelentés (hu)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} ramalan cuaca (id)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} réamhaisnéis f
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 天気予報 (tenki yohō), ^{(please verify)} 予報 (ja) (よほう, yohō)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 일기예보(日氣豫報) (ko) (ilgiyebo), ^{(please verify)} 예보(豫報) (ko) (yebo)
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} prognozė (lt) f
• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} прогно́за f (prognóza)
• Maori: ^{(please verify)} matapae
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} پیش‌بینی (fa) (piš-bini)
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} previsão (pt) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} прогно́за f

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} prognóza (sh) f

• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} predpoveď f
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} napoved f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: ^{(please verify)} pśedpowěsć f, ^{(please verify)} prognoza f

  Upper Sorbian: ^{(please verify)} předpowědź f, ^{(please verify)} prognoza f

• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} utabiri wa hali ya anga (sw), ^{(please verify)} utabiri wa hali ya hewa
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} väderprognos (sv) c, ^{(please verify)} prognos (sv) c
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} hulaysay
• Tajik: ^{(please verify)} пешгӯӣ (pešgüi), ^{(please verify)} пешбинӣ (pešbini), ^{(please verify)} прогноз (prognoz)
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} прогно́з (uk) m (prohnóz)
• Uzbek: ^{(please verify)} prognoz (uz)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} dự báo
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} rhagolygon (cy) m pl

Derived terms

• backcast
• ecoforecast
• forecastability
• forecastable
• forecaster
• forecast lead time
• hindcast
• misforecast
• non-forecast airlift
• nowcast
• reforecast
• reverse forecast
• shipping forecast
• tricast
• unforecast
• weathercast
• weather forecast
• wishcast

Further reading

• forecast on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “forecast”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “forecast”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Seacroft, fastcore