Meaning & use
horoscope
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Meanings
nouncountable
a forecast of someone's future based on the positions of stars and planets at their birth
Grammar: Countable: a horoscope, the horoscope, horoscopes.
Patterns
- read someone's horoscope
- check your horoscope
- a horoscope for Leo
She reads her horoscope every morning before work.
According to my horoscope, I should avoid big decisions this week.
He doesn't believe in horoscopes, but he still checks his for fun.
nouncountabletechnical
a diagram showing the positions of celestial bodies at a particular moment, used in astrology
Grammar: Countable; often used in technical astrology contexts.
Patterns
- cast a horoscope
- draw up a horoscope
The astrologer cast a horoscope for the exact time of the baby's birth.
Ancient astronomers drew horoscopes to track the movements of the planets.
Word forms
| plural | horoscopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- daily horoscope
- The newspaper publishes a daily horoscope for all twelve signs.
- read a horoscope
- I read my horoscope online every morning.
- believe in horoscopes
- She doesn't believe in horoscopes, but she finds them entertaining.
- horoscope column
- The magazine's horoscope column is surprisingly popular.
Synonyms and how they differ
- forecast
- A general prediction, often about weather or economics; it does not involve astrology.
- prediction
- A broader term for saying what will happen; a horoscope is a specific astrological prediction.
Word family
- horoscopic adjective
- relating to horoscopes or astrology
Commonly confused: horoscope or horology? horoscope or telescope?
horoscope vs horology
Horology is the study of making clocks and watches; a horoscope is an astrological forecast. They sound similar but are unrelated.
horoscope vs telescope
A telescope is an instrument for viewing distant objects; a horoscope is a prediction, not a device.
Practice
According to her ______, she should be careful with money this month.
Choose one answer.
A horoscope gives astrological predictions, so it fits the context of advice about money. Horology is about clockmaking, a telescope is an instrument, and astronomy is the scientific study of space, not a prediction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “horoscope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.