forecasting

forecasting — verb

1. the act of working out, with the help of data, calculations, or expert judgment,

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

the act of working out, with the help of data, calculations, or expert judgment, what conditions or events are most likely in the days, months, or years ahead. (Used as the -ing form of the verb 'forecast'.)

Example

Salma is forecasting next year's coffee prices using data from three growing regions.

forecast + [object measured]: prices, demand, sales

Apinya spent the morning forecasting how many tourists would visit the island in July.

forecast + wh-clause

Common collocations
  • forecasting demand
  • forecasting growth
  • forecasting weather
  • forecasting sales
  • accurately forecasting
Synonyms
  • predict

    broader; covers any guess about the future, with or without data

  • project

    business and statistical contexts; usually a numerical extension of past trends

  • anticipate

    stresses preparing for what will come, not announcing it

Antonyms
  • look back

    describes events after they happen, not before

Grammar Patterns

forecast + noun phrase

forecast + that-clause

forecast + wh-clause

Usage Note

Forecasting differs from a casual guess: subject is normally an expert, an institution, or a model, and the prediction is based on data or recognised methods. Common in weather, business, economics, and sports analysis.

Common Mistakes

I'm forecasting that I will be hungry later.
I think I'll be hungry later.
'forecast' implies analysis or expertise, not a personal hunch.

forecasting — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs talk about saying something in advance, but the trustworthiness of the claim differs. 'Forecast' carries the strongest sense of evidence — a meteorologist or economist consults data and methods, then reports a calculated picture of the future. 'Predict' is more general; you can predict from data, intuition, or even superstition. 'Project' belongs to numbers: sales projected to rise 8 percent are extrapolated from existing trends, with little human judgment added. 'Anticipate' shifts focus from announcing to getting ready: shop owners anticipate a busy weekend by ordering more stock. Compare 'The bureau forecasts heavy snow' (data-backed claim), 'Grandma predicts snow because her knee aches' (personal hunch), 'We project a 12% rise in revenue' (numerical extension), 'Anticipate strong demand and order extra' (preparation, not statement).

forecast ↗predict ↗project ↗anticipate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • weather forecasting
  • demand forecasting
  • sales forecasting
  • economic forecasting
  • load forecasting

Adverbs

  • accurately forecasting
  • wrongly forecasting
  • correctly forecasting

Phrases

  • long-term forecasting
  • short-term forecasting
  • data-driven forecasting
  • rolling forecasting

Prepositions

  • forecasting + of [topic]
  • forecasting + for [period]

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Forecasting is the noun and -ing form of the verb 'forecast', which entered English in the late 1300s from a combination of 'fore-' (before) and 'cast' (to throw or plan out). At first it meant simply to plan ahead. Over the 1500s and 1600s it acquired the modern sense of predicting weather or events from observation and reasoning. The shorter spelling 'forecast' has been preferred since Shakespeare's time, while 'forecasting' grew naturally as the activity term.