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.

---

crystal ball British  

noun

1. the glass globe used in crystal gazing

---

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]

---

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

"I'm crystal ball gazing and can do it reasonably well on a good day, but nowhere near with the clarity of the nanopore, which gives a comprehensive molecular classification," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Some might say that Plaschke laid down the curse at the start of the season, but looking at the Dodgers now just before postseason, it points instead to Plaschke’s crystal ball being quite clear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

If you have a crystal ball that will tell me I will need memory care in old age, please share.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

I don’t have a crystal ball, but history is instructive.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

“And how did you know to find me at Swanburne? Surely there was a crystal ball involved.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---