omen

noun

ˈō-mən How to pronounce omen (audio)
Definition of omennext
as in portent
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event some people still believe that a black cat crossing your path is a bad omen

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of omen Meanwhile, industrial and real estate investment plunged in the first half of the year, a bad omen for the world’s second-biggest economy. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 Diarists and observers, including hymn writer John Newton and militia officers, often treated the event as an omen reflecting the gravity of the Revolution. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 4 July 2026 This pick is also not a great omen for 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topić. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 24 June 2026 There was a book in Sapphire’s den that ran a different set of numbers, the math of omens and outcomes. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for omen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omen
  1. portent
  2. forerunner
  3. augury
  4. prediction
  5. foreshadowing
  6. precursor
  7. presage
  8. hint
Noun
  • Things are also tough for their friends, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), whose constant bickering seems to be an ominous portent for their on-again-off-again relationship.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • The push for the category, which comes after Hot Ones earned Daytime Emmys noms in 2022 and 2023, carries symbolic portent, given the category’s housing of traditional late night; a nomination would truly signal a passing of the torch.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Definition of portent
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • But the most promising augury for season two is that Widow’s Bay is old-school monster-of-the-week episodic television.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026
  • The rule of thumb is that if a party sees a mass exodus of its members in Congress, that’s a bad augury.
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
Definition of augury
Noun
  • The group’s predictions are nightmarish and agonizing to even contemplate.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Jason Trost Smarkets founder The first choice, though, would be for Smarkets to run as a prediction markets exchange regulated under the CFTC, Trost said.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of prediction
Noun
  • What drags the installment down, however, is the sheer predictability and lack of dissent, with seven out of the nine votes being unanimous — a foreshadowing of seasons to come.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
  • The late-May timing of the FISU announcement could serve as consequential foreshadowing of the International Skating Union’s (ISU) annual congress.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Definition of foreshadowing
Noun
  • But outside spending groups supporting Marshall and opposing Hamilton have already made major television ad buys this month — a precursor to what’s expected to be an expensive election cycle.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Less wealthy associations within and outside the confederation have relied heavily on FIFA funds via Infantino’s FIFA Forward program, the precursor to FFE, which was introduced by him in 2016.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of precursor
Noun
  • Sometimes, the departure of an underperforming executive or official presages improvements ahead.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
  • But a lack of accountability presages failure for California’s big reform.
    — Rachel Canter, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of presage
Noun
  • Astronomers observing Betelgeuse in 2024 found hints of a second star, and now a paper published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics strongly supports its existence.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The team also found hints that oxygen was present in the brine, and even a bit of genetic evidence to suggest that underground microbes might be capable of using it.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of hint

Browse Nearby Words

omegas
omen
omens
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Cite this Entry

“Omen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omen. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on omen

Nglish: Translation of omen for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about omen

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