vt 预报(言，测) (tell in advance，esp after analyzing available data) [T+n，T+that，T+wh]：～the future development of a very young child/an upturn in the stock market/good weather for the next three days 预测一幼儿未来的发展/预测股票市场的回升/预报未来三天将是好天气;～that the future will be bright/it will rain tonight/it will be the end of winter 预言未来是光明的/预报今晚有雨/预报冬天就要过去;It is difficult to～what will happen to the country's economic future. 很难预测国家的经济前景会怎样。〖同〗predict，expect，foresee，foretell;

n 预报(言，测) (statement about what is going to happen;prediction) [C]：a fairly reliable～十分可靠的预报;the weather～天气预报;population～s 有关人口的种种预测;the～s of military involvement in the country's politics/about the economic development 军方介入国家政治/经济发展的预言;〖同〗prediction;

→ ′forecaster n 观测(报)人;

【辨异】 forecast与predict和foresee都指预告、推测。forecast 指推测，而不是真正洞悉、了解，这种推测是要向公众报告的，如：Rain and snow are～for tonight. (预报今晚有雨夹雪。) 而predict (预言，预报，预示)通常是基于精确计算和了解，或根据事实和经验作出准确判断的，如：Astronomers can～an eclipse. (天文学家能预测出日(月)食。) 也可指很随意的预告，如：～that he would be miserable without his mother (预言没有他母亲，他会痛苦的;) foresee (预知，预见)是指对未来要发生的事在脑子里形成想法、判断，如：Things turned out to be exactly as he had foreseen. (事情结果正如他所预见的那样。)