omen
Americannoun
-
anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent.
- Synonyms:
- foreboding, augury
-
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.
noun
-
a phenomenon or occurrence regarded as a sign of future happiness or disaster
-
prophetic significance
verb
Related Words
See sign.
Other Word Forms
- unomened adjective
Etymology
Origin of omen
First recorded in 1575–85, omen is from the Latin word ōmen
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.
You wouldn't have predicted a Scotland defeat that early, but you get to understand the triggers in this team and the omens weren't encouraging.
From BBC
But the current Draco obsession stems from the transliteration of his surname, "Ma Er Fu", which contains the Chinese characters for "horse" and "good fortune" -- an auspicious omen for the year ahead.
From Barron's
The omens are good for the British pair – last year, they won GB's first figure skating World Championship medal in more than 40 years with bronze in Boston.
From BBC
Denver will hope some omens are on their side.
From BBC
Keys also won in 2022 on her only other appearance in the South Australia city, and thinks that is a good omen for her Australian Open preparation.
From Barron's
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.
