crystal ball

noun

1. a ball of clear crystal, glass, or the like, used in crystal gazing.

2. a method or means of predicting the future.

crystal ball

noun

1. the glass globe used in crystal gazing

Word History and Origins

Origin of crystal ball¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Idioms and Phrases

A means of predicting the future, as in So what does your crystal ball say about the coming election? The term is a figurative use of the crystal or glass ball used by fortune-tellers. [c. 1900]