crystal ball

noun

1
: a sphere especially of quartz crystal traditionally used by fortune tellers
2
: a means or method of predicting future events

Examples of crystal ball in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This tool is a crystal ball for sellers, offering foresight into market trends and consumer preferences. Chris Gallagher, The Arizona Republic, 2 Mar. 2024 Retailers do not need to look into a crystal ball or speak to a Genie to predict the future. Louis Biscotti, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 As if having peered into a crystal ball, nearly half of the spring 2024 fashion trends that the Vogue Runway team predicted for the season have trickled down into stores. Talia Abbas, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 With crystal balls being in short supply these days, changing market conditions can be especially problematic for businesses. Rhett Power, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 Leaders require no crystal ball; data is their compass in anticipating workers’ desires in the upcoming year. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 30 Dec. 2023 And today’s accelerating advances in machine learning are quickly upgrading their digital crystal balls. Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2024 Every week between now and January 23, when the nominations for the Academy Awards are announced, Vulture will consult its crystal ball to determine the changing fortunes in this year’s Oscars race. Vulture, 19 Jan. 2024 To up their sorcery skills, Magic Science contains activities that teach them tricks using chemical reactions, such as making ordinary powders mystically foam and change color, creating test tube crystal balls, and more. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 22 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crystal ball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crystal ball was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near crystal ball

Cite this Entry

“Crystal ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crystal%20ball. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crystal ball

noun
: a clear ball especially of quartz crystal used by a fortune-teller to predict the future
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!