impend

verb

im·​pend im-ˈpend 

impended; impending; impends

intransitive verb

1

a

: to be about to occur

the impending trial

b

: to hover threateningly : menace

2

archaic : to hang suspended

Synonyms

• brew
• loom

Examples of impend in a Sentence

for confirmed pessimists some disaster always seems to be impending

Recent Examples on the Web

But about half the city’s prewar population of 100,000 still lives here, and there was no visible exodus, despite all the recent warnings of impending doom. —Jeffrey Gettleman Finbarr O’Reilly, New York Times, 3 July 2023

Nearly in unison, America’s business class has routinely predicted impending doom for the economy, only to later admit that their forecasts may have been a bit premature. —Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 28 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin impendēre, from in- + pendēre to hang — more at pendant

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

impend

verb

im·​pend im-ˈpend 

1

: to threaten to occur immediately

impending danger

2

: to be about to happen

an impending trip

3

archaic : to hang out or over