1
: an official diviner of ancient Rome
2
: one held to foretell events by omens
augured; auguring; augurs
1
: to foretell especially from omens
2
: to give promise of : presage
This bad news augurs disaster for all of us.
: to predict the future especially from omens
Did you know?
In ancient Rome, augurs were official diviners whose function it was to divine whether the gods approved of a proposed undertaking, such as a military move. They did so by various means, among them observing the behavior of birds and examining the entrails of sacrificed animals. We doubt the Romans predicted that augur would eventuate into a verb meaning “presage or foretell,” but in retrospect, augur’s path must have been in the stars.
Synonyms
Examples of augur in a Sentence
Noun
ancient Roman augurs who predicted the future by reading the flight of birds
Verb
The decision doesn't augur well.
the extended interview augurs well for your acceptance into that law school
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 26 Oct. 2024
No reliable augurs of a coming bear market are in evidence: S & P up 10 of 11 months, making a new high in September, credit spreads resolutely narrow, all point to an upside bias over a span of months, at least.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2024
Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
In the Peach State contests pitting Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue respectively against Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the polls held a week before Election Day augured that both GOP candidates would win comfortably, in a twofer securing the party’s control of the upper chamber.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
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Noun
The ancient Romans consulted augurs, who discerned the future by studying the behavior of birds.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 26 Oct. 2024
No reliable augurs of a coming bear market are in evidence: S & P up 10 of 11 months, making a new high in September, credit spreads resolutely narrow, all point to an upside bias over a span of months, at least.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
Anyone wondering if the collaboration might augur a crossover into more mainstream arthouse territory will be swiftly put right in the film’s alternately oblique and explicit introductory minutes.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
In the Peach State contests pitting Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue respectively against Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the polls held a week before Election Day augured that both GOP candidates would win comfortably, in a twofer securing the party’s control of the upper chamber.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for augur
Dictionary Entries Near augur
Cite this Entry
“Augur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/augur. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
augur
1 of 2 noun
au·gur
ˈȯ-gər 
: a person (as in ancient Rome) who foretells the future by omens
augur
2 of 2 verb1
: to predict from signs or omens
2
: to give promise of
this augurs well for the future
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