crystal ball

American  

noun

crystal balls plural

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

2. a method or means of predicting the future.

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crystal ball British  

noun

1. the glass globe used in crystal gazing

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crystal ball Idioms  

1. 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]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crystal balls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of crystal ball

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crystal ball

History isn’t a crystal ball, but certain historical moments become magnifying glasses, highlighting truths today’s political passions obscure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

"Without a crystal ball nobody can know what is going to happen" to producers' and farmers' costs at the moment these contracts are signed.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

But you didn’t have a crystal ball, and you played by the rules of the game.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 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

He knew it as clearly as if he had a crystal ball.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech