Word.ws English Dictionary

the writing is on the wall

the writing is on the wall phrase: disaster is imminent.

Phrase

the writing is on the wall

  1. Disaster is imminent.

Origin of the writing is on the wall

From the Biblical story in Daniel 5 where mysterious writing appearing on a wall during a feast held by King Belshazzar points to the downfall of the Babylonian Empire: see writing on the wall.

Questions about the writing is on the wall

What does the writing is on the wall mean?
The writing is on the wall means disaster is imminent.
What part of speech is the writing is on the wall?
The writing is on the wall is a phrase.

Words near the writing is on the wall in the dictionary

  1. the world is someone's oyster
  2. the world is too much with someone
  3. the world kept spinning
  4. the world over
  5. the world owes one a living
  6. the writing is on the wall
  7. the wrong side of
  8. the yellow peril
  9. the'e
  10. the-
  11. the-rapist

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the writing is on the wall (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “the writing is on the wall.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/the_writing_is_on_the_wall. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.