impending

1 of 2

adjective

im·​pend·​ing im-ˈpen-diŋ 

: occurring or likely to occur soon : upcoming

impending trials

impending motherhood

… scientists who rely on the satellite signals for hints of impending earthquakes and volcanic eruptions …

—R. Monastersky

… heed the warnings of impending disaster.

—Publishers Weekly

… many of us secretly enjoy the sassier commercials and elegant layouts, not to mention being told of impending sales.

—Andrew Hacker

impending

2 of 2

present participle of impend

Synonyms of impending

Adjective

• upcoming
• approaching
• coming

Examples of impending in a Sentence

Adjective

an impending celebration of the 100th anniversary of the college's founding

an aura of impending doom hung over the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Another impending free agent, the pitching guru oversaw one of baseball’s best rotations and that aforementioned surprisingly successful bullpen. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Today’s program is explicitly for women who have an impending release date, are okay with speaking to the press, and willing to be on camera for Beauty Beyond Bars’ and Allure’s social channels. — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026

High-profile investors warned of an impending AI bubble after tech stocks drove the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to all-time highs. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Aubrey Layne, Sentara’s chief administrative officer, said lower payment rates from government programs — and impending cuts to Medicaid — are forcing the hospital to play hardball with the insurers that are representing employers. — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of impend

First Known Use

Adjective

1616, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for impending

• amending
• appending
• ascending
• attending
• befriending
• commending
• contending
• defending
• depending
• descending
• distending
• expending