: an occurrence or phenomenon (see phenomenon sense 1) believed to portend a future event : augury
The dark clouds were considered a bad omen.

Examples of omen in a Sentence

They regarded the win as a good omen for the team. omens of things to come
Recent Examples on the Web Long ago, shooting stars were commonly thought to be omens, prophecies, or messages from the gods. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024 Ask the deck questions, discuss the cards’ omens, or just admire the artwork together. Anne Loreto Cruz, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2024 There are very distinct recurrent themes that run through Poe's work: madness, guilt, disease, opium, family, omens, doppelgängers, fear of being buried alive, and of course, the tragic death of a beautiful young woman. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023 Based on his previous rulings, and on his comments on Thursday, the omens aren’t good for Trump and his co-defendants, which include his two eldest sons—who are both executive vice-presidents of the Trump Organization—and two former Trump Organization executives. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024 And there are very distinct recurrent themes that run through Poe's work that help tie the material together: madness, guilt, disease, opium, family, omens, doppelgängers, fears of being buried alive, resurrections, and of course, the tragic death of a beautiful young woman. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2023 There are plenty of ways to tell when gentrification is coming to a community; rising home prices and an influx of trendy shops are classic omens. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023 The animals mostly related to symbols or omens of death are scavengers, nocturnal, or associated with negative events. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2023 The future is obviously unwritten here, but as bad omens go, Songtradr’s reflexive gutting of Bandcamp feels both ominous and infuriating — the latest episode from a chaotic mediascape where moneyed management makes bad decisions, then workers pay with their livelihoods. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin omin-, omen

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of omen was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near omen

Cite this Entry

“Omen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omen. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

omen

noun
: a happening believed to be a sign or warning of some future event

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