Meaning & use
forecasted
Last updated
“forecasted” is a form of “forecast”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
said in advance what was likely to happen, especially about weather or future trends.
Grammar: Takes an object: forecasted rain, forecasted growth. Also used as the past participle: had forecasted.
Patterns
- forecasted something
- forecasted that ...
- be forecasted to do something
The meteorologist forecasted heavy snow for the weekend.
Analysts forecasted a rise in oil prices last month.
The storm was forecasted to reach the coast by evening.
adjectivebefore a noun
predicted or expected in advance, often used before a noun.
Grammar: Used attributively: forecasted demand, forecasted results. Less common than the verb form.
Patterns
- forecasted demand
- forecasted results
- forecasted growth
The forecasted demand for electricity was higher than expected.
Forecasted profits were revised downward after the poor sales report.
They compared actual sales with forecasted figures.
Word forms
| base form | forecast |
|---|---|
| third person singular | forecasts |
| past tense | forecasted |
| past participle | forecasted |
| -ing form | forecasting |
| alternative past tense | forecast |
| alternative past participle | forecast |
Common combinations
- forecasted rain
- The picnic was canceled because of forecasted rain.
- forecasted growth
- The company hired more staff due to forecasted growth.
- forecasted to increase
- Spending is forecasted to increase next year.
- accurately forecasted
- The team accurately forecasted the market downturn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- predicted
- More general; used for any statement about the future, not just weather or economics.
- projected
- Often used for numerical estimates based on data; slightly more technical than forecasted.
- estimated
- Focuses on approximate calculation rather than a formal prediction.
Word family
- forecast noun
- A statement about what is expected to happen, especially weather.
- forecaster noun
- A person who predicts future events, such as a weather forecaster.
- forecasting noun
- The activity of predicting future events or trends.
Commonly confused: forecasted or forecast?
forecasted vs forecast
Forecast is the base form and can also be the past tense; forecasted is only the regular past tense. Both are correct, but forecast is more common in British English.
Practice
Which sentence uses the past tense of forecast correctly?
Choose one answer.
Forecasted is a regular past-tense form, so it fits 'yesterday'. Option 1 uses the base form forecast, which is also acceptable as a past tense but less common in American English; option 2 uses the present tense forecasts, which does not match 'yesterday'; option 3 uses the -ing form without an auxiliary verb, which is ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “forecasted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.