Synonyms

crystal ball

American

noun

a ball of clear crystal, glass, or the like, used in crystal gazing.
a method or means of predicting the future.

crystal ball British

noun

the glass globe used in crystal gazing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

crystal ball Idioms

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]

Etymology

Origin of crystal ball

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“He who lives by the crystal ball learns to eat ground glass,” as they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

“If I had a crystal ball I could tell you now what is going to happen,” Heimo Schirgi, the World Cup chief operating officer for FIFA, said Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

“Nobody really has a crystal ball about how this all pans out,” said Dana D’Auria, co-CIO at Envestnet Solutions, an advisory service for retail investors.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

And while we don’t possess a crystal ball, we believe that the tourism decline of 2025 could well continue through 2026.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

I’d never been sure about that crystal ball.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023