# forecast

Pronunciation: US say "FOR-kast" /ˈfɔɹkæst/; say "FOR-kahst" UK /ˈfɔːkɑːst/, AUS /ˈfoːkɐːst/

## Noun

1. A statement predicting what the weather will be like in the coming hours or days.
   - Simple: A guess about what the weather will be like over the next few days.
   - _Saturday's forecast calls for heavy snow across the mountains._
   - _Farmers rely on the forecast to decide when to harvest._
3. An estimate of a future condition or outcome, based on present information.
   - Simple: A guess about what will happen, based on facts you have now.
   - _The company's sales forecast for next quarter looks promising._
   - _Analysts revised their forecast after the new data arrived._
5. A betting wager in which the bettor predicts the first and second place finishers of a race in the correct order.
   - Simple: A bet where you must pick the first two finishers in the right order.
   - _He placed a forecast on the two favorites and won big._
   - _A winning forecast pays out only if both horses finish in the exact order chosen._

## Verb

2. To estimate or predict how something will turn out in the future.
   - Simple: To say what you think will happen later, based on what you know now.
   - _Economists forecast slower growth for next year._
   - _The company forecasts strong sales for the holiday season._
4. To foreshadow something, or to suggest its coming in advance.
   - Simple: To hint at something before it happens, so people can see it coming.
   - _Her early successes forecast a brilliant career in science._
   - _The novel's quiet opening forecasts the tragedy that follows._

## Verb

6. To plan, arrange, or contrive something carefully in advance. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To plan something carefully before it happens.

## Origin

From Middle English forecasten (also forcasten), formed from the prefix fore- plus cast. The noun comes from Middle English forecast (forcast).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/forecast (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).