omen

[ oh-muhn ]

/ ˈoʊ mən /

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noun

anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent.

a prognostic.

prophetic significance; presage: a bird of ill omen.

verb (used with object)

to be an omen of; portend.

to divine, as if from omens.

Nearby words

Origin of omen

First recorded in 1575–85, omen is from the Latin word ōmen

SYNONYMS FOR omen

1. augury, foreboding. See sign.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR omen ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·o·mened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for omen

At times, it seemed Leonard was awaiting a portent or an omen.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters|Alex Belth|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Japan Times on March 6, 2010, reported that in folklore the fish comes to the beach as an omen of an earthquake.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?|Kevin Bailey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The color has also been used to forebode an omen or a threat.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Beware Those Sly Green Eyes|Laura Dimon|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some view is as an omen of dread, of blood, of war, or of victory.
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 2 for Dummies|Jace Lacob|March 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They may even have a good argument, but their very existence is about as ill an omen as it gets.
Five Signs the Dems are Doomed|Benjamin Sarlin|October 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Again he won his stake, an omen for the day, and was exultant.
Mr. Scarborough's Family|Anthony Trollope
If they remain unmoved on the left, or adhere to the right, then it is an omen that the absent loved one will remain faithful.
Domestic folk-lore|T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
If dark and dingy, the omen was bad, and they were ordered to sit still.
Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago And Long Before|George Turner
But in the meantime its disappearance troubled me like an omen.
Uncle Silas|J. S. LeFanu
René took the incident as an omen, and turned his ode into a prophecy which he delivered to his master as the utterance of God.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)|Mrs. Sutherland Orr

British Dictionary definitions for omen

omen

/ (ˈəʊmən) /

noun

a phenomenon or occurrence regarded as a sign of future happiness or disaster

prophetic significance

verb

(tr) to portend

Word Origin for omen

C16: from Latin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for omen

omen

1580s, from Latin omen "foreboding," from Old Latin osmen, of unknown origin; perhaps connected with the root of audire "to hear" [OED] or from PIE *o- "to believe, hold as true" (cf. Greek oiomai "I suppose, think, believe").