occult

verb

oc·cult | \ə-ˈkəlt,

ä-\

occulted; occulting; occults

Definition of occult

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to shut off from view or exposure : cover, eclipse the light of a star that was about to be occulted … by Uranus itself— Jonathan Eberhart

occult

adjective

oc·cult | \ə-ˈkəlt,

ä-;ˈä-ˌkəlt

Definition of occult (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : not revealed : secret deep subterranean occult jealousy— J. C. Powys

2 : not easily apprehended or understood : abstruse, mysterious occult matters like nuclear physics, radiation effects and the designing of rockets— Robert Bendiner

3 : hidden from view : concealed occult underground passages

4 : of or relating to the occult … the occult arts—astrology, palmistry, card reading …— Amy Fine Collins occult practices

5 : not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone occult carcinoma also : not present in macroscopic amounts occult blood in a stool

occult

noun

\ə-ˈkəlt,

ä-;ˈä-ˌkəlt

Definition of occult (Entry 3 of 3)

: matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them —used with the

Other Words from occult Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about occult

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Examples of occult in a Sentence

Verb

occulted their house from prying eyes by planting large trees around it the actor's private life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona

Adjective

occult practices such as magic and fortune-telling He began to believe he had occult powers.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In July, 2017, the object occulted a star, and telescopes observed its tiny shadow passing across the star. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "The soon-to-be-famous object at the Solar System’s edge needs a name," 7 Nov. 2017 And for some lucky sky-watchers in eastern Brazil and in central and southern Africa, the moon will occult the star. — National Geographic, "Spring Meteor Shower and 6 More Sky Events in May," 1 May 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Her cryptic abstractions—fueled by a host of private, occult and religious sources—are intriguing, sometimes fascinating. — Lance Esplund, WSJ, "‘Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future’ Review: Modernism’s Missing Link?," 13 Oct. 2018 That pattern is the same as the Black Sun, or Schwarze Sonne in German, which is still used today in some neo-Nazi occult circles. — Elizabeth Schumacher, USA TODAY, "Shakira selling Nazi-like trinket for 'El Dorado' tour," 21 June 2018 Swedish occult-rock group Ghost just released its first album since a 2017 lawsuit in which four former bandmates accused frontman Tobias Forge of financial misconduct -- which made public Forge’s identity as the secretive group’s mastermind. — Richard Bienstock, Billboard, "Ghost's Cardinal Copia On How the Plague and Bands Like Jefferson Starship Inspired New Album," 15 June 2018 Twelve years stranded on an island after being overthrown in a coup that was led by his brother, Prospero, the rightful duke of Milan, has been brooding over his grievances while developing his formidable occult powers. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "'The Tempest' at the Old Globe: Kate Burton casts a benevolent spell as Prospera," 26 June 2018 Like a coin toss that keeps coming up heads, iterated titles suggest an occult lucky streak bound to break. — Dan Chiasson, The New Yorker, "The Politics and Play of Terrance Hayes," 24 June 2018 That clash between imagination and reality is what ultimately lures Parsons into the occult. — Thomas Harlander, Los Angeles Magazine, "A Forgotten Pasadena Rocket Scientist and Occultist Inspired a New TV Show," 13 June 2018 This mixture of science fiction, the occult, secondary school sociology, kids good and bad and genetics turns out to be an extraordinary mixture. — New York Times, "Notes From the Book Review Archives," 1 June 2018 The show reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (played by Kiernan Shipka) as a dark coming-of-age story with tons of horror, the occult and a good ol' dose of witchcraft. — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "Ross Lynch Just Booked His First MAJOR TV Role Since "Austin & Ally"!," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'occult.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for occult

Verb

Latin occultare, frequentative of occulere

Adjective

Latin occultus, from past participle of occulere to cover up, from ob- in the way + -culere (akin to celare to conceal) — more at ob-, hell

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Time Traveler for occult

The first known use of occult was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for occult

occult

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of occult

: of or relating to supernatural powers or practices

See the full definition for occult in the English Language Learners Dictionary

occult

adjective

oc·cult | \ə-ˈkəlt,

ˈäk-ˌəlt

Medical Definition of occult

: not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone occult carcinoma also : not present in macroscopic amounts occult blood in a stool specimen fecal occult blood testing — compare gross sense 1b