omeno‧men /ˈəʊmən $ ˈoʊ-/ noun [countable] 
The car won’t start. Do you think it’s an omen?a good/bad/ill omen The mist seemed like a bad omen and Sara’s heart sank a little.omen of He will regard your presence as an omen of good fortune.omen for It’s a good omen for the future.
WORD ORIGINomen
Origin:
1500-1600 LatinEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "Maybe this is a good omen," said Jill, seeing a blue sky for the first time in weeks.
- Do you think the rain is some kind of omen?
- George thought the car breaking down on the way to his wedding was a bad omen.
- It was an omen, but Margo and Duke plunged in.
- Might that be an omen of sorts for the brave new telecommunications world to come?
- On the face of it, the omens are good.
- Oshagatsu is all about establishing good omens for the coming year.
- Perhaps an omen of things to come.
- Several times they started to build a city, but they were always driven away by misfortunes or bad omens.
- The augur's skill didn't consist in luck with the omens, but in reading them right.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that shows what is true or what is happening
an event or fact that shows that something is true or that something is happening: · Therapy should begin when the first signs are noticed.sign of: · Stan has some of the early signs of heart disease.· Police searched the house thoroughly but found no signs of a break-in.sign (that): · A score of 80 or more is a sign that you are doing very well.be a sure sign (of/that) (=show that something is definitely true): · When Emma offers to help you it's a sure sign that she wants something from you!a good/hopeful/encouraging sign (=a sign that things are improving): · The rise in consumer spending is an encouraging sign that the economy may be recovering.
something, especially someone's behaviour or what they say, that makes you believe that something is probably happening or has probably happened: indication of: · There was no indication of forced entry to the building.indication (that): · There are indications that the Labour Party will win the next election.give no/any/a good indication of something: · If she knew what was going on outside, she gave no indication of it.· The daily pollen count can give a good indication of the amount of allergens in the air.give/show every indication of (doing) something: · The two parties have shown every indication of a willingness to compromise.
facts, objects etc that show that something exists or is true: · Without any evidence we cannot prove that she was involved in murder.evidence of: · People have been looking for evidence of life on other planets for years.evidence that: · We can find no evidence that he ever worked for the company.visible evidence: · There was no visible evidence that humans had ever lived in this valley.
a sign that someone has an illness or that a serious problem exists: · First the doctor asked me to describe my symptoms.symptom of: · The first symptoms of hepatitis are tiredness, vomiting, and loss of weight.· In his speech the Bishop labelled these crimes as a symptom of society's moral decline.
a very small sign that a particular situation exists or is true: trace of: · The thief was careful not to leave any trace of his activities.· Many local people were very eager to get rid of the last traces of their town's shameful past. with/without a trace of something: · Hans speaks English beautifully, without a trace of a foreign accent.
formal a very clear sign that a particular situation or feeling exists: manifestation of: · This latest outbreak of violence is a clear manifestation of discontent in the city.· Some men feel that showing their emotions is a manifestation of weakness.
something that happens which you think is a sign that something good or bad is going to happen in the future: · Do you think the rain is some kind of omen?bad omen: · George thought the car breaking down on the way to his wedding was a bad omen.good omen: · "Maybe this is a good omen," said Jill, seeing a blue sky for the first time in weeks.
: tell-tale signs/marks/symptoms etc signs that something is happening that are not very easy to notice, unless you know exactly what to look for : · In his face you could see the first tell-tale signs of alcoholism.· Teachers are encouraged to look for telltale signs of abuse among their students.
if you say that something is a giveaway , you mean it clearly shows you the real truth about something, rather than what someone would like you to believe: · Those fake beams are a giveaway - it isn't really an old pub.be a dead giveaway (=show very clearly): · That nervous twitching was always a dead giveaway that he'd done something wrong.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The mist seemed like a bad omen and Sara’s heart sank a little.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
a sign of what will happen in the future: The mist seemed like a bad omen and Sara’s heart sank a little.· Crocombe should have taken this as a bad omen, but did not, carrying on to Karachi.· He could not determine whether this was a good or a bad omen.· By the twenties, lace curtains and an aspidistra in the window were bad omens.· Several times they started to build a city, but they were always driven away by misfortunes or bad omens.· But he-goats and sometimes rams were bad omens.· The seamen consider these cries a bad omen.· It was a bad omen, she said.· The juice landed on the floor like a red bubbly snake, a bad omen suddenly materializing out of thin air.
· That was O.K. Perhaps it was a good omen.· Oshagatsu is all about establishing good omens for the coming year.· In Celtic countries it was always considered a good omen if one of these cats decided to settle in the home.· A good omen, they thought.· It seemed to be a good omen.· The storm was over and he regarded that as a good omen.· There were lots of good omens and I was still inspired by the news of Jill and her campaign.· This was widely thought to be a good omen.
· This mini-boom is already over. Ill omens were there for the taking.
The car won’t start. Do you think it’s an omen?a good/bad/ill omen The mist seemed like a bad omen and Sara’s heart sank a little.omen of He will regard your presence as an omen of good fortune.omen for It’s a good omen for the future.