J. C. PowysRobert BendinerAmy Fine Collins
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2022
The waning crescent Moon—just 9%-lit—will occult the planet Venus, but only for those in Madagascar.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 May 2022
During a full transit, which would last a few minutes, an Earth-size planet would occult the entire white dwarf.
—Avi Loeb, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2020
In July, 2017, the object occulted a star, and telescopes observed its tiny shadow passing across the star.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 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, 1 May 2017
Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
It’s a determinedly non-jokey supernatural thriller in which a group of Adelaide teens get in way over their heads playing an occult party game.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023
Other screening options include annual fecal occult blood tests which look for blood in the stool.
—Janelle Chavez, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023
Even Robert Duvall makes an appearance at age 91 as an academic consulted by Gus Landor to shed light on the occult overtones to the murder.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
This type of occult logic just makes sense to children.
—Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2023
The witches focused on the World Cup represent a wide variety of occult disciplines, more New Age than ancient and Indigenous.
—Ana Lankes, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2022
Yet the dreams of this obsessively solitary man overflow with spectacles and horrors and occult visions.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 16 Dec. 2022
Curioporium, the occult curiosity shop at 1429 Park Road in Hartford, will host three guests on Dec. 16 to 18.
—Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 1 Dec. 2022
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2023
Protection and cleansing Pagan rituals take place outdoors, when possible, or sometimes in people’s homes or in occult bookstores.
—Helen A. Berger, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2023
Her new novel, out on Tuesday, takes place in the Chicago suburbs and city, spanning time periods between 17-year-old Ivy’s summer break, and her mother Dana’s secret occult past involving dark, otherworldly forces that may or may not want vengeance on her daughter in the present-day.
—Gina Tomaine, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
The space is uncluttered, a throw-rug on the armchair, a couple of stark white deer skulls are mounted, European-style, on a wall against a reclaimed barn board — definitely more Soho chic than occult-goth.
—Lisa Richardson, Longreads, 8 Apr. 2020
Oh and also, there are cults, cannibalism, and all kinds of other strange detours into the occult to make the mystery even deeper.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 13 Jan. 2023
For nearly half a century, legends of a giant cave in the Andes—holding artifacts that could rewrite human history—have beckoned adventurers and tantalized fans of the occult.
—David Kushner, Outside Online, 28 Dec. 2020
Spooky season may have passed, but the occult obeys no laws of man, calendar included.
—Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 5 Dec. 2022
But the town was filled with rumors about Satanism, devil worship, and the occult.
—Felix Gillette, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
in part back-formation from occultation, in part continuing Middle English occulten "to keep secret, conceal," borrowed from Latin occultāre "to prevent from being seen, conceal, keep secret," frequentative derivative of occulere "to hide from view, conceal" — more at occult entry 2
Adjective
borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin occultus "hidden from sight, secret, esoteric," from past participle of occulere "to hide from view, conceal," from oc-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -culere, from a verb base *cel- "hide," going back to Indo-European *ḱel- "cover, conceal" — more at conceal
Noun
noun derivative of occult entry 2
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1888, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing occult
Dictionary Entries Near occult
Cite this Entry
“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occult. Accessed 27 May. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on occult
Nglish: Translation of occult for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of occult for Arabic Speakers
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