as in portents
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 omens
In fact, some of you may have found a more spiritual connection to the universe, seeing omens, signs, and visions of what was, what is and what could be.
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Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
The pattern offers favorable omens for Saquon Barkley, a sports history buff, who breached 1,000 yards rushing with a 132-yard game against the Commanders.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
In ancient Rome, temples and sanctuaries needed clear sight lines for the taking of auspices — interpreting omens from the behavior of birds — and other rituals.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
The one reason why this centuries-old record of an eclipse exists is due to an ancient belief that celestial events carry omens that were related to events of the time.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 5 Dec. 2025
For over two centuries, eerie sightings of the Dash have tied it to omens of death and supernatural lore.
—Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
The bad omens came early at this year’s Burning Man — the infamously wild, weeklong celebration of art, music, and unrestrained self-expression held at the end of every summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert — portending a particularly extra-ordinary burn.
—Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
In the final novel of the series, The Last Battle, the destruction of trees and dryads in Lantern Waste, a place tied to the creation of Narnia itself, is one of many portentous omens signalling the end of the world.
—Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omens
Noun
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Carol’s favorite, Bella Donna, does not carry the same dark portents.—
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Black cats can be portents of bad luck.—
Noun
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Those are, indeed, pat, credible theories and predictions.—
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Ahead of the season premiere, several of her family members spoke about their predictions for how her stint on the show will play out.—
Noun
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The governor-elect’s plans provide hints of how progressives elsewhere will try to tackle affordability problems.—
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No arrests have been announced, nor have police offered any hints for a motive for the killing.—
Noun
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Sea Tea Comedy Theater is not a living room, but that concept surely comes up sometimes in the audience suggestions that fuel the improv sketch comedy performances there.—
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State officials have said the suggestions of fraud are unsubstantiated.—
Cite this Entry
“Omens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omens. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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