PROPHESY (prophesied)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: prophesied   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does prophesy mean? 

• PROPHESY (verb)
  The verb PROPHESY has 2 senses:

1. predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration

2. deliver a sermon

  Familiarity information: PROPHESY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROPHESY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they prophesy    ... he / she / it prophesies   
Past simple: prophesied   
Past participle: prophesied   
-ing form: prophesying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

prophesy; vaticinate

Hypernyms (to "prophesy" is one way to...):

anticipate; call; forebode; foretell; predict; prognosticate; promise (make a prediction about; tell in advance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "prophesy"):

vaticinate (foretell through or as if through the power of prophecy)

enlighten; irradiate (give spiritual insight to; in religion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deliver a sermon

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

preach; prophesy

Context example:

The minister is not preaching this Sunday

Hypernyms (to "prophesy" is one way to...):

lecture; talk (deliver a lecture or talk)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "prophesy"):

evangelise; evangelize (preach the gospel (to))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something ----s to somebody
Somebody ----s on something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue prophesy

 Context examples 

The peasant made the raven prophesy still more, and said: Thirdly, he says that there is some salad on the bed.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

It may safely be prophesied, however, that no one could have foreseen the extraordinary turn which they were actually to take.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Anne could do no more; but her heart prophesied some mischance to damp the perfection of her felicity.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Hannah was out of humor because her week's work was deranged, and prophesied that "ef the washin' and ironin' warn't done reg'lar, nothin' would go well anywheres".

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Alas! I prophesied truly, and failed only in one single circumstance, that in all the misery I imagined and dreaded, I did not conceive the hundredth part of the anguish I was destined to endure.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Ah! cousin, when I remember how much I used to dread riding, what terrors it gave me to hear it talked of as likely to do me good (oh! how I have trembled at my uncle's opening his lips if horses were talked of), and then think of the kind pains you took to reason and persuade me out of my fears, and convince me that I should like it after a little while, and feel how right you proved to be, I am inclined to hope you may always prophesy as well.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Ahab did not like Micaiah, because he never prophesied good concerning him, but evil; probably he liked the sycophant son of Chenaannah better; yet might Ahab have escaped a bloody death, had he but stopped his ears to flattery, and opened them to faithful counsel.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

There might have been cause for maternal anxiety, if Demi had not given convincing proofs that he was a true boy, as well as a budding philosopher, for often, after a discussion which caused Hannah to prophesy, with ominous nods, That child ain't long for this world, he would turn about and set her fears at rest by some of the pranks with which dear, dirty, naughty little rascals distract and delight their parent's souls.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)