augury

noun

ˈȯ-gyə-rē How to pronounce augury (audio)
Definition of augurynext
1
as in prediction
a declaration that something will happen in the future a yearbook augury that of all the graduates, he would be the most likely to succeed

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2
as in omen
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event some people believe that a broken mirror is an augury of seven years' bad luck

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3
as in divination
the art or practice of foretelling future events by interpreting omens the gift of augury that Nostradamus purportedly possessed

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of augury Within its air of metropolitan disdain lurked an augury of England’s post-Brexit identity crisis, in which the country appears permanently torn between the deflating liberal dreams still harbored in the cities and the backlash fermenting in the provinces left behind. — Henry Wismayer, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2021 Her first food was fish skin, blackened and reeking of the sea—augury foreshadowing her fearlessness, her love of swimming, her appetites. — Aria Beth Sloss, Bon Appétit, 22 Mar. 2022 As with all augury, there's room for interpretation. — Matthew Askari, Car and Driver, 28 June 2022 During the past 14 years of drought, the Colorado River Delta has been a living augury of the Colorado River and the ever-expanding swell of Southwesterners who depend on it. — The Editors, Outside Online, 23 Dec. 2014 See All Example Sentences for augury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for augury
  1. prediction
  2. omen
  3. divination
  4. forerunner
  5. forecast
  6. portent
  7. prophecy
  8. presage
Noun
  • Contract predictions have ranged all the way to $600 million for the 26-year-old.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
  • For the latter, keep an eye on space weather forecasts from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to track geomagnetic storm predictions.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of prediction
Noun
  • The omens looked good after Argentina’s Ajejandro Tosti and Collin Morikawa’s caddie JJ Jakovac both aced the hole on Wednesday ahead of the tournament, but the waters quickly claimed multiple victims during the first round.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Throughout most of human history, many cultures have thought such phenomena were ill omens caused by supernatural beings.
    — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025
Definition of omen
Noun
  • Spider divination In Cameroon, Mambila spider divination (nggam du)) poses difficult questions to spiders or land crabs that live in holes in the ground.
    — Michelle Aroney and David Zeitlyn, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Following her magnificent turn as a Sicilian divination witch in Agatha All Along, Patti LuPone is returning to the small screen for another flashy role.
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of divination
Noun
  • The notable feature of this particular death factory was its use of gas vans, a forerunner to the larger, more impersonal gas chambers built at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • In 1914, Frank Newman opened the Royal Theatre which was a forerunner to movie palaces in the city, a significant departure from nickelodeons.
    — Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • The weather forecast for Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, included strong winds and the high chance of Thunderstorms beginning around 3 p.m.
    — Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Retail sales across the U.S. rose a modest 0.2% in February, missing forecasts amid fears that the economy is slowing, new government data shows.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of forecast
Noun
  • Weinstein’s thuggish joke was just one portent of the edgy, borderline sinister air that permeated the party from the very beginning.
    — Scott Huver, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The slogan could also be seen as a portent of Netflix’s continued dominance of the modern entertainment industry.
    — Adam B. Vary, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025
Definition of portent
Noun
  • Inspired by a prophecy, many are splitting their time between Oregon and Kauai, Hawaii.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The witches – Shakespeare’s agents of prophecy – are being integrated into the game’s UI, subtly revealing or obscuring information and distorting reality in ways that make players question the limits of their control.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of prophecy
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of presage

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Cite this Entry

“Augury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/augury. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on augury

Nglish: Translation of augury for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about augury

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