tarot

American

[tar-oh, ta-roh] / ˈtær oʊ, tæˈroʊ /

noun

any of a set of 22 playing cards bearing allegorical representations, used for fortunetelling and as trump cards in tarok.

tarot British

/ ˈtærəʊ /

noun

one of a special pack of cards, now used mainly for fortune-telling, consisting of 78 cards (4 suits of 14 cards each (the minor arcana), and 22 other cards (the major arcana))
a card in a tarot pack with distinctive symbolic design, such as the Wheel of Fortune

"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

adjective

relating to tarot cards

"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

Etymology

Origin of tarot

1590–1600; back formation from taros (plural) < Middle French < Italian tarocchi, plural of tarocco

Explanation

Tarot cards are used for fortune telling and playing card games. Many people believe that a tarot reading will give them special insight into the future — but other people believe that fortune telling is bunk. A deck of tarot cards has four suits, usually swords, cups, coins, and wands, plus 21 trump cards. These cards include The Fool, The Lovers, Death, and Justice. During a tarot reading, cards are dealt from a shuffled deck and placed in a certain pattern. The placement and order of each card gives it a specific significance and meaning. Beyond its Italian source, the origin of the word tarot remains a mystery.

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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.

I’d like to introduce your husband to the 11th Major Arcana tarot card.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

This earnings season, companies’ financial results aren’t just numbers — they are tea leaves, tarot cards and macro signals all rolled into one.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 22, 2025

In addition to hosting perfume making and lipstick reading — which is like tarot card reading, but with lipstick — the store gave away an advance copy of “By Invitation Only.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

Olsen: With “Agatha,” there’s tarot decks, a Ouija board, obviously a lot of spells.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

She dived into her big bag and pulled out her beloved tarot deck.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023