Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Word of the Day

Blog: Words at Play

Dictionary

omen

noun \ˈō-mən\

: something that is believed to be a sign or warning of something that will happen in the future

Full Definition of OMEN

: an occurrence or phenomenon believed to portend a future event : augury

See omen defined for English-language learners

See omen defined for kids

ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of OMEN

Latin omin-, omen

First Known Use: 1582

Related to OMEN

Synonyms: augury, auspice, boding, foreboding, foreshadowing, portent, prefiguring, presage, straw in the wind

Rhymes with OMEN

bowman, foeman, gnomon, nomen, Roman, showman, soman, yeoman

OMEN Defined for Kids

omen

noun \ˈō-mən\

Definition of OMEN for Kids

: a happening believed to be a sign or warning of a future event

Learn More About OMEN

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "omen"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "omen"

Nglish: Translation of "omen" for Spanish speakers

Britannica English: Translation of "omen" for Arabic speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about "omen"

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: omentulumPrevious Word in the Dictionary: omeletAll Words Near: omen

ADVERTISEMENT

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up omen? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site

Test Your Vocabulary!

10 Charming Words for Nasty People

Put-downs with flair

When "Literally" isn't, well, literal

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Know what this is?

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears

Join Us

Merriam-Webster
on Facebook

Merriam-Webster
on Twitter

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.

See All

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

© Merriam-Webster, Incorporated