crystal ball
Americannoun
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a ball of clear crystal, glass, or the like, used in crystal gazing.
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a method or means of predicting the future.
noun
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.
“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
“Trying to predict where rates will be in year 11 thru 20 is crystal ball watching,” Peter Boockvar, One Point BFG Wealth Partners tells Barron’s.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
If we hadn’t already predicted she was going to break it for Richard Gere’s financier, this bubbly moment was our crystal ball glimpse into their eventual happy ending.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026
There in the depths of the crystal ball was...the rain barrel at the corner of our house.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
