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

“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

But unless you have an unusually good crystal ball about when the next bear market will begin, there’s no reason to change your investment strategy for making money in the stock market.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026

He folded his hands and pleaded in a little girl’s voice: “‘Old Timothy, please, look in your crystal ball and tell me: How will it all turn out?’

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood