as in to predict
formal + literary
to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The distant thunder portended a storm. If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 portend
The tech portends big things for missions to Mars and elsewhere.
—
TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
For Jordan High senior Katherine Castro, the 2024 academic year embodies the familiar as well as the new — and portends memorable moments ahead.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024
Beyond lupus, doctors hope CAR-T portends a bigger breakthrough against autoimmune diseases, whose prevalence has been on a troubling rise.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
David Becker, a CBS News election law contributor and the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, cautioned that the breakdown of early voting by party does not portend the outcome of the election.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for portend 
TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
For Jordan High senior Katherine Castro, the 2024 academic year embodies the familiar as well as the new — and portends memorable moments ahead.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024
Beyond lupus, doctors hope CAR-T portends a bigger breakthrough against autoimmune diseases, whose prevalence has been on a troubling rise.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
David Becker, a CBS News election law contributor and the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, cautioned that the breakdown of early voting by party does not portend the outcome of the election.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for portend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend
Verb
-
In Denver, a key commercial airline hub, forecasters predict a couple of inches of snow.Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Nov. 2024
-
Goldman Sachs predicts tariffs on Mexico and Canada would lead to a slightly smaller 0.9% rise in the core inflation measure in 2025.Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Total Wireless has also introduced unlimited data on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network that promises to be up to 10 times faster than the median download speeds of all other providers.Molly Higgins, WIRED, 23 Nov. 2024
-
This isn’t the pitter patter of little feet I was promised.Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
These 19th-century hacks presage a 21st-century example: In response to insurance companies that offer discounts for those who use fitness trackers, the satirical project Unfit Bits suggests ways to trick your step tracker, such as by attaching the device to a metronome.Jacqueline D. Wernimont, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
-
That commitment to a boring final act presaged a wave of mediocre—alright, abysmal—Marvel shows on Disney+, like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight and Secret Invasion.Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Congress might also call on President Biden to ban TikTok under the IEEPA.Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
-
Kia customers can also call customer care at 1-800-333-4542 or check out owners.kia.com/us/en/kia-owner-portal.html.Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023
Verb
-
Related article How this cult Japanese artist’s eerie paintings foretold our digital malaise As a result, some of today’s biggest Hello Kitty fans are those who grew up with her in the 1980s and ‘90s.Oscar Holland, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
-
Inside, actual witch Lilia (Patti LuPone) grasps his hand and proclaims that his lifeline is split in two, foretelling drama to come.The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Despite the difficulty, in some cases the stakes are so high—as with North Korea and its nuclear weapons—that armies will have no choice but to take the fight to what is often a vast, foreboding underworld.Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 27 June 2023
-
There are foreboding close-ups on clock faces and their fast-changing digits.Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 23 June 2023
Verb
-
Anyone wondering if the collaboration might augur a crossover into more mainstream arthouse territory will be swiftly put right in the film’s alternately oblique and explicit introductory minutes.Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
-
In the Peach State contests pitting Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue respectively against Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, the polls held a week before Election Day augured that both GOP candidates would win comfortably, in a twofer securing the party’s control of the upper chamber.Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near portend
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share