crystal ball

noun

1

: a sphere especially of quartz crystal traditionally used by fortune tellers

2

: a means or method of predicting future events

Examples of crystal ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plush owls are packed into the kind of old-fashioned leather cases which feature prominently in the Potter films while toys of the stars sit on shimmering circular brass shelves next to decorative magical artifacts such as candles and crystal balls. — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Get out your crystal ball, tarot cards and Ouija board and tell us which team is going to go on a big, successful run from now until the end of the regular season. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 22 July 2026

One particular headline in that crystal ball edition jumped off the page. — Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 4 July 2026

Nobody has a crystal ball, but what are your hopes for the future of Iran? — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for crystal ball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol

Kids Definition

crystal ball

noun

: a clear ball especially of quartz crystal used by a fortune-teller to predict the future