fortune teller

noun

variants or less commonly fortune-teller

ˈfȯr-chən-ˌte-lər 

plural fortune tellers also fortune-tellers

: someone or something with the supposed ability to foretell future events and especially the details of a person's future

For thousands of years, people have gone to fortune tellers because they wanted to know whom they would marry or whether they were going to be rich or famous.

—Muse

Some of the fortune-tellers he encounters are ludicrously off the mark; others are uncannily accurate.

—Michael Upchurch

You do not have to be a fortune teller to realize that sneezes, sniffles, plugged up noses and red eyes will be making their appearance in most of our houses within the next two months.

—Glenn Haege

By the early 1900s it was possible to get a "psychic reading" from a mechanical fortune teller at the local penny arcade.

—Ralph and Terry Koval

sometimes, specifically : a child's toy that consists of paper folded into four pyramid-shaped parts which are manipulated by the fingers to open and close with each part having a flap that can be unfolded to reveal an answer to one's question about the future : cootie catcher

Some of the most commonly made folk toys are made of paper: fortune tellers (also known as cootie catchers), paper airplanes, spitballs shot through straws …

—Lowell (Massachusetts) Sun

Your child may choose to decorate the fortune teller … with stickers or drawings, or to color the outside squares instead of writing the name of a color.

—Sally Worsham

fortune-telling

ˈfȯr-chən-ˌte-liŋ 

noun or adjective

Synonyms

• diviner
• prophet
• forecaster

Examples of fortune teller in a Sentence

the carnival's fortune-teller should have predicted that I'd pass right by her

Recent Examples on the Web

In it, a fortune teller (Vanessa Bayer) reads Tess and Anna’s palms and marvels at the fact that their life lines have intertwined in the past, while the mother-daughter duo tries to downplay that incident. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 June 2025

In the decades since, he’s made a killing as a food fortune teller, discovering and bringing to market some of America’s biggest restaurant brands. —Jemima McEvoy, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

Nearly 30% of Americans consult New Age practices such as astrology, Tarot cards or fortune tellers, with some religious groups ranking among the most likely to look to the practices for guidance in their lives, according to a new poll. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025

The study by the Pew Research Center survey, published May 21, surveyed U.S. opinion on astrology, tarot cards and fortune tellers. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025

But Judy accurately observed that there were obvious signs pointing toward Tanya’s death in Season 2: A fortune teller basically telling her Greg was manipulating her; the story Tanya hears about a rich matriarch being killed for her house; the comparisons between her and tragic heroines in operas. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 7 Apr. 2025

This is a world-famous highlight, a massive open space full of an incredible variety of restaurant food stalls, snake charmers, fortune tellers, musicians, just the beating heart of Northern Africa, and an absolute must-experience. —Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Essentially, foresight transforms the manager's role from fortune-teller to cultural anthropologist, decoding the complex tapestry of the present to guide the brand through the ever-changing business environment of tomorrow. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

At that point, the story was smaller in scale and didn’t involve any curses or fortune tellers. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fortune teller

• beller
• cellar
• dweller
• eller
• feller
• meller
• sellar
• seller
• sheller
• speller
• stellar
• bestseller

Kids Definition

fortune-teller

noun

for·​tune-tell·​er

-ˌtel-ər

: a person who claims to foretell future events

fortune-telling

-ˌtel-iŋ

noun or adjective