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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of omen
Owls With their piercing gaze, silent flight and haunting calls, owls are often seen as omens of death in folklore.
—
Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Oct. 2024
These are positive omens for a goal-shy side that has not managed to dispel fears of a fourth successive relegation battle.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
A couple of the bad omens: ◾ Judas, the 13th person at the Last Supper in the Bible, is believed to have betrayed Jesus.
◾ Friday: Several unsettling events occurred on the day, including Jesus' crucifixion.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
They have been associated with bad omens, according to English-language accounts of Japanese folklore.
—James Doubek, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for omen
Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Oct. 2024
These are positive omens for a goal-shy side that has not managed to dispel fears of a fourth successive relegation battle.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
A couple of the bad omens: ◾ Judas, the 13th person at the Last Supper in the Bible, is believed to have betrayed Jesus.
◾ Friday: Several unsettling events occurred on the day, including Jesus' crucifixion.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
They have been associated with bad omens, according to English-language accounts of Japanese folklore.
—James Doubek, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for omen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omen
Noun
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But coming in at a brisk 89-minute runtime, the feature is awkwardly compressed in its portrait of heartache and easily overwhelmed by the political portent of its subject.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
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The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While Cal State Fullerton isn’t the first campus to launch a Project Rebound program, the university has been among the forerunners in its expansion, becoming a model for Project Rebound programs at the other universities in the CSU system.—
Lou Ponsi,
Orange County Register,
28 Jan. 2025
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Each night, Americans were reminded of the crisis on TV, as ABC created nightly reports called America Held Hostage with Ted Koppel, the forerunner to Nightline.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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As a result, the level of prediction accuracy was increased significantly, which improved the ability of the company to react to emerging external factors.—
Alexandra Harbert,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
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Most of the original data behind the mapping tool, like the wildfire risk predictions, is still available, but is now harder to find and access.—
Alejandro Paz,
The Conversation,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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These signs seem to confirm Sahm’s augury that the economy remains healthy.—
David Thomas,
Forbes,
16 Oct. 2024
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The auguries were not favorable for a Pétain acquittal.—
Robert O. Paxton,
Harper's Magazine,
17 Dec. 2023
Noun
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Like the compulsive twisting of a pencil into a sharpener, Khatami tightens the narrative rope to excruciating effect with a series of ominous foreshadowings.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
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And because every number is loaded with callbacks and foreshadowings, both musically and lyrically, the rangy story is tied into a very tight thematic bundle.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Since the inception of the SAG Awards in 1994, only six actors have won the Oscar with SAG as their sole major precursor — and none of them were in lead actor.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
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One of Sinaloa’s most lucrative businesses in recent years has been the production of fentanyl, blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Sinaloa imports the precursor chemicals from China, produces the drug and then smuggles it across the border.—
Ellen Knickmeyer and Maria Verza,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In politics, there are liars and better liars How the Biden administration helped avoid a coup in Guatemala China’s meddling in Taiwan election presages year of misinformation threats Need help keeping up with this tumultuous election?—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
12 Jan. 2024
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The New Moon in Virgo, which occurs shortly after Mercury turns direct, presages really big beginnings throughout the zodiac.—
Jennifer Culp,
Them,
16 Aug. 2024
Noun
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The result is a nut butter with roasty toasty complexity and the slightest hint of natural sweetness.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appétit,
13 Feb. 2025
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Her makeup included bold brows, a smokey eye and a hint of a glossy lip.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Omen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omen. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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