Word family noun prediction predictability ≠ unpredictability predictor adjective predictable ≠ unpredictable predictive verb predict adverb predictably ≠ unpredictably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpredictionpre‧dic‧tion /prɪˈdɪkʃən/ ●●○ AWL noun [countable, uncountable] PREDICTa statement about what you think is going to happen, or the act of making this statementprediction of predictions of a Republican victory The data can be used to make useful economic predictions.COLLOCATIONSverbsmake a predictionIt is far too early to make predictions about the outcome of the inquiry.confirm a prediction (=show that it was right)They are now planning further tests to confirm their predictions.adjectivesaccurate/correct Jane's prediction proved to be accurate.a confident prediction (=one that you think is probably right)The situation is so uncertain that it is hard to make a confident prediction.a dire/gloomy prediction (=saying that something bad will happen)There have been some gloomy predictions about the economy recently. Examples from the Corpus
prediction• It's too early to make any predictions about the election results.• Planning assumptions are predictions about the probable environments in which plans are expected to operate.• A natural extension of the two approaches is to combine them and test both predictions at the same time.• Despite their confident predictions, sales of the new car have not been very good.• This principle, then, makes certain general predictions about acquisition.• One prediction is that 50% of households will have two microwaves.• Pundits' predictions of repossessions topping 80,000 during 1991 hit the headlines.• Empirical support for the prediction of future violence is very small.• What were the sources of these predictions?• But Donald Rumsfeld's appointment as defence secretary makes those predictions look naive.make ... predictions• It is better to re-analyse the following work programme in the light of past performance and make predictions against this background.• Western experts made almost daily predictions that Gorbachev could not survive the growing domestic turmoil, but somehow he did.• It had been quite effective for making predictions, but became more and more over-complicated as greater accuracy was needed.• But it's a bit early to make predictions.• Local forecasters are then expected to make their predictions from them.• This property of amplification makes it impossible to make long-term predictions about evolution, as one can in astronomy.• Euravia's history is altogether too brief for any outside to make positive predictions about its future.• Listening to this subterranean activity has allowed them to make predictions about how and when each pool of magma will erupt. 