I. fore ‧ cast 1 /ˈfɔːkɑːst $ ˈfɔːrkæst/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a description of what is likely to happen in the future, based on the information that you have now ⇨ prediction :
The weather forecast is good for tomorrow.
profit/sales/growth forecast
the company’s annual sales forecast
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + forecast
▪ a weather forecast
The weather forecast for the weekend is fine and dry.
▪ a shipping forecast (=a forecast about weather conditions at sea)
According to the shipping forecast, strong winds can be expected later today.
▪ a sales forecast
The gloomy sales forecast sparked rumours that the company would be making job cuts.
▪ a profit forecast
The company has cut its profit forecast by £18m to £570m.
▪ a growth forecast (=one relating to an increase in the value of goods or services produced and sold)
The official growth forecasts for the economy are promising.
▪ an economic forecast
The Bank of England revised its economic forecast in the wake of the figures.
▪ a detailed forecast
A detailed forecast of the industry’s prospects has just been published.
▪ optimistic (=expecting good things to happen)
In his speech, the President gave an optimistic forecast for the economy.
▪ pessimistic/gloomy (=expecting bad things to happen)
Scientists have produced a gloomy forecast on the effects of global warming.
■ verbs
▪ make a forecast
It is too early to make a forecast on what will happen.
▪ give a forecast
Economists gave an upbeat forecast for the world economy.
▪ provide a forecast
Analysts usually provide growth forecasts for no more than two years ahead.
▪ revise a forecast (=change it because of new information)
The company has revised its sales forecast.
II. forecast 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle forecast or forecasted ) [transitive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: fore- + ⇨ ↑ cast 1 'to arrange cleverly' (14-19 centuries) ]
to make a statement saying what is likely to happen in the future, based on the information that you have now SYN predict :
Rain was forecast for the weekend.
forecast (that)
The Federal Reserve Bank forecasts that the economy will grow by 2% this year.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ predict to say that something will happen, before it happens:
In the future, it may be possible to predict earthquakes.
|
Scientists are trying to predict what the Amazon will look like in 20 years' time.
▪ forecast to say what is likely to happen in the future, especially in relation to the weather or the economic or political situation:
They’re forecasting a hard winter.
|
Economists forecast that there would be a recession.
▪ project to say what the amount, size, cost etc of something is likely to be in the future, using the information you have now:
The world’s population is projected to rise by 45%.
▪ can say especially spoken be able to know what will happen in the future:
No one can say what the next fifty years will bring.
|
I can’t say exactly how much it will cost.
▪ foretell to say correctly what will happen in the future, using special religious or magical powers:
The woman claimed that she had the gift of foretelling the future.
|
It all happened as the prophet had foretold.
▪ prophesy to say that something will happen because you feel that it will, or by using special religious or magical powers:
He’s one of those people who are always prophesying disaster.
|
The coming of a great Messiah is prophesied in the Bible.
|
He prophesied that the world would end in 2012.
|
Marx prophesied that capitalism would destroy itself.
▪ foresee to know that something is going to happen before it happens:
They should have foreseen these problems.
|
No one foresaw the outcome of the war.
▪ have a premonition to have a strange feeling that something is about to happen, especially something bad, usually just before it happens:
Suddenly I had a strange premonition of danger ahead.