Definition

1. Verb:
   • To predict or foretell a future event, often as if through divine inspiration or supernatural means: To state what will happen in the future, typically with an implication of authoritative or inspired knowledge.
   • To deliver a sermon or speak as a prophet: To speak or preach with religious or moral authority, often about future events or divine will.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The ancient seer would prophesy the fate of kings.
  • He claimed he could prophesy the outcome of the war.
  • The book prophesies a period of great change.
  • The minister stood to prophesy to the congregation about repentance.

Advanced Usage

• "to prophesy doom/greatness": To predict a negative or positive future outcome.

  • The cult leader prophesied doom for all non-believers.
  • The oracle prophesied greatness for the newborn prince.

• "as prophesied": Used to describe an event that happened as was predicted.

  • The city fell, as prophesied in the ancient texts.

Variants and Related Words

• Prophet (n): A person who speaks by divine inspiration or who predicts the future.
  • She was regarded as a prophet in her community.
• Prophecy (n): A prediction of the future; the faculty or practice of prophesying.
  • His prophecy about the storm came true.
• Prophetic (adj): Accurately predicting or describing a future event.
  • Her warnings proved to be prophetic.

Synonyms

• Predict: To say that an event will happen in the future (more general, often based on data).
• Foretell: To tell of a future event beforehand.
• Divine: To discover or declare through intuition or insight.
• Foresee: To be aware of beforehand; to predict.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

(Note: "Prophesy" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically straightforward.)

Related Idioms

• "A self-fulfilling prophecy": A prediction that causes itself to become true, directly or indirectly.
  • His fear of failure became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
  • (Note: This idiom uses the noun "prophecy," a related form of "prophesy.")

Verb

1. deliver a sermon
   • The minister is not preaching this Sunday
2. predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration