occult

American  

[uh-kuhlt, ok-uhlt] / əˈkʌlt, ˈɒk ʌlt /

adjective

1. of or relating to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies.

2. beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding; mysterious.

   Synonyms:

   supernatural, metaphysical, esoteric, arcane

3. secret; disclosed or communicated only to the initiated.

   Synonyms:

   kabbalistic, mystical, veiled, unrevealed

4. hidden from view; concealed.

5. (in early science)

   1. not apparent on mere inspection but discoverable by experimentation.

   2. of a nature not understood, as physical qualities.

   3. dealing with such qualities; experimental.

      occult science.

6. Medicine/Medical. present in amounts too small to be visible.

   a chemical test to detect occult blood in the stool.

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noun

• occults
  plural

1. Usually the occult

   1. the supernatural or supernatural agencies and affairs considered as a whole.

   2. occult studies or sciences.

verb (used with object)

• occults,
  present (3rd person singular)
• occulted,
  past participle,  past
• occulting
  present participle

1. to block or shut off (an object) from view; hide.

2. Astronomy. to hide (a celestial body) by occultation.

verb (used without object)

• occults,
  present (3rd person singular)
• occulted,
  past participle,  past
• occulting
  present participle

1. to become hidden or shut off from view.

occult British  

adjective

1. 1. of or characteristic of magical, mystical, or supernatural arts, phenomena, or influences

   2. ( as noun )

      the occult

2. beyond ordinary human understanding

3. secret or esoteric

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verb

1. astronomy (of a celestial body) to hide (another celestial body) from view by occultation or (of a celestial body) to become hidden by occultation

2. to hide or become hidden or shut off from view

3. (intr) (of lights, esp in lighthouses) to shut off at regular intervals

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• occulter
  noun
• occultness
  noun
• nonoccult
  adjective
• nonocculting
  adjective
• occultly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• occults
  plural

Participles

• occulting
  present
• occulted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• occult
  simple
• occults
  simple
• have occulted
  perfect
• has occulted
  perfect
• am occulting
  progressive
• are occulting
  progressive
• is occulting
  progressive
• have been occulting
  perfect progressive
• has been occulting
  perfect progressive

Past

• occulted
  simple
• had occulted
  perfect
• was occulting
  progressive
• were occulting
  progressive
• had been occulting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will occult
  simple
• will have occulted
  perfect
• will be occulting
  progressive
• will have been occulting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of occult

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin occultus (past participle of occulere “to hide from view, cover up”), equivalent to oc- “to, toward, over” + -cul-, akin to cēlāre “to hide” + -tus past participle suffix; see oc-, conceal

Explanation

Dark and mysterious, the occult is a kind of supernatural power or magic. If you see your neighbor chanting over a giant vat of bubbling brew in the middle of the night, there's a chance he's dabbling in the occult. The word occult has its roots in the Latin occultus, meaning “hidden, secret.” That's why it can also be used as both a noun referring to black magic and an adjective meaning "difficult to see." Quipped the famous physicist Heinz Pagels, “I like to browse in occult bookshops if for no other reason than to refresh my commitment to science.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

occult occults occulted occulting

An independent bookshop which specialises in horror, fantasy, folklore and the occult is trying to raise £20,000 to save it from closing.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Its beginnings came not from the world of the occult but that of upper-class entertainment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Almost all exorcists, at the urging of the Vatican, keep their identities secret, their role in battling the occult known only to the other priests in their diocese.

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

In 2019, the wickedly fun horror-comedy “Ready or Not” made hide-and-seek into a terrifying encounter with the occult — and made its star, Samara Weaving, the scream queen du jour.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026

There were long, dark alleyways between the historical buildings, hidden paths, secret entrances, and a few unsavory occult shops where only the most mysterious villagers seemed to congregate.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

When Jupiter occults a bright star, astronomers will learn a lot about its atmosphere, which is probably thousands of miles deep and boiling with enormous storms.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the earth's airless moon occults a star, the star winks out instantaneously.

From Time Magazine Archive

The sun, of course, occults planets and stars in exactly the same manner as the moon does, but we cannot see these occultations on account of the blaze of sunlight.

From Astronomy of To-day A Popular Introduction in Non-Technical Language by Cecil Goodrich Julius Dolmage

The hat occults its background, and thus reconstructs itself.

From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930 by Various

When the Moon passes in front of the Pleiades, and occults them successively, it is hard to believe one's eyes.

From Astronomy for Amateurs by Frances A. (Frances Alice) Welby

The movie’s details and themes remain theoretical, a blurred thesis about crime and punishment, about incarceration and isolation, about the occulted oppressions and subjections on which society depends.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 10, 2019

Stern and his colleagues chased 2014 MU69 on land and through the air last summer as it occulted, or passed in front of, three background stars.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 28, 2017

Extended Data Figure 2: The occulted star spectrum and model.

From Nature ● Apr. 4, 2014

Astronomers discovered the atmosphere in 1988, when Pluto occulted another star.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 30, 2013

And though the solution to this mystery was, to my young mind, occulted, yet did 1 know where it lay: behind the forbidden door.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

This occurs when its orbit passes on the line of sight between the Earth and the star, partially occulting the star -- causing a decrease in its brightness that can be observed and quantified.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 11, 2024

Out she goes, turning broadside on, a shadow sprinkled with stars, then makes slow way down stream, a travelling constellation occulting one after another all the fixed lights.

From London River by H. M. (Henry Major) Tomlinson

Then from spectra we might pass by an easy step to equivalent signals of long and short flashes in various combinations, also made by occulting the light.

From A Trip to Venus by John Munro

Although in actual and deliberate transit on rollers across the backyard and still occulting a part of the view, it remained, after the reckless fashion of the period, inhabited.

From The Heritage of Dedlow Marsh and Other Tales by Bret Harte

The explosions from them merged in a confusion of the white glare—and a cloud of black light-mist as the brigands out on the rocks used their occulting darkness bombs.

From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930 by Harry Bates