oracle

noun or·a·cle \ ˈȯr-ə-kəl , ˈär- \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Examples: oracle in a Sentence

1 a : a person (such as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak

the prophecies of the Delphic oracle
—D. F. Marks

b : a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge or the divine purpose through such a person

c : an answer or decision given by an oracle

ambiguous oracles

2 a : a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions

She became an oracle of pop culture.

b : an authoritative or wise expression or answer

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Examples of oracle in a Sentence

I met her long before she had become the oracle of pop culture.

Recent Examples of oracle from the Web

The effect is of watching an oracle divine fearsome and inscrutable truths from on high, then render them into stories fit for mortals.

— jordan larson, The Cut, "Rachel Cusk’s Rules for Living," 25 June 2018
According to BBC Sport reporter and Arsenal transfer news oracle David Ornstein, the Gunners have come to an agreement with Leverkusen on a fee that will see the north London club part ways with around £19m for the 26-year-old.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Agree Fee With Bayer Leverkusen Ahead of the Anticipated Arrival of Bernd Leno," 19 June 2018
Oedipus learned, when consulting the Delphic oracle, that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother.

— james romm, WSJ, "‘Know Thyself’ Review: The Evolution of a Culture," 10 June 2018
This year the big tech CEOs expounding as celebrity oracles of the future were absent.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Big Tech Trades Splashy Conference Demos for Introspection," 31 May 2018
That’s the latest bit of news about the California races — none of it positive — from the East Coast oracles.

— joe garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, "More (predicted) bad news for Republicans in California House races," 26 Apr. 2018
Coincidentally, it is titled with the beginning and the end of a ouija board or a mystifying oracle -- and right on my favorite number, 13.

— david rishty, Billboard, "Ghastly Breaks Down His Debut Album 'The Mystifying Oracle': Exclusive," 4 May 2018
Head Over Heels The Curran presents a musical romp about a royal famliy that must prevent an oracle’s prophecy of doom featuring the music of The Go-Go’s.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of April 8," 5 Apr. 2018
So what does the oracle of Milan foretell for spring 2018?

— matt sebra, GQ, "Miuccia Prada’s Vision for the Future Now Includes Laser Beams and Space Suits," 19 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of oracle

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin oraculum, from orare to speak — more at oration

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

Oracle

geographical name Or·a·cle \ ˈȯr-ə-kəl , ˈär- \

unincorporated settlement north-northeast of Tucson in southern Arizona population 3686; site of a biome research facility

ORACLE Defined for English Language Learners

oracle

noun

in ancient Greece : a person (such as a priestess) through whom a god was believed to speak
: the place (such as a shrine) where people went to ask questions of an oracle
: an answer or message given by an oracle