1
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in miracle
something extraordinary or surprising
a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portent
Advertisement Mamdani’s performance as mayor would be scrutinized for portents of the Democrats’ future.
—
Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
This would turn out to be a portent of what was to come.
—Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
Her appearance at the funeral had only been a portent of her tragic death.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 July 2025
All seven of those have been losses, a bad portent for October when every team will have good pitching.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Mark Chiusano, Time, 14 Aug. 2025
This would turn out to be a portent of what was to come.
—Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
Her appearance at the funeral had only been a portent of her tragic death.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 July 2025
All seven of those have been losses, a bad portent for October when every team will have good pitching.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
-
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, was not available for comment on Wednesday.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One life saved by heroic medical care is a miracle.—
Dr. Tom Frieden,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
-
With Liverpool returning to the Turkish city for their Champions League game against Galatasaray, this is the story of a football miracle, told to James Pearce and Simon Hughes by the people who were on the pitch, in the dugout and in the stands.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The bad omens came early at this year’s Burning Man — the infamously wild, weeklong celebration of art, music, and unrestrained self-expression held at the end of every summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert — portending a particularly extra-ordinary burn.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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Investors now worry that Milei’s defeat is a bad omen for the crucial legislative elections in October, a contest that could potentially derail his free-market economic reforms.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of the most important phenomena in high-altitude Sonoma vineyards is the inversion layer, the blanket of fog that hovers between 800 and 1,800 feet throughout many mornings of the growing season.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
28 Sep. 2025
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And in 2024, two tornadoes hit Wisconsin in February, the first time the weather phenomenon occurred in that month in state history.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The car was a precursor to the Testarossa and one of 1,007 made.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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Certification is a necessary precursor for allowing a vehicle to approach the orbiting laboratory.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The stakes are relatively low, and the childhood wonder may not work for more cynical adult viewers, but Skeleton Crew is a solid example of Star Wars' unlimited potential to tell all kinds of stories without having to relate everything back to the Skywalker Saga.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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So grab your telescope — or just your imagination — and prepare to explore the luminous wonders above.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An Easter egg to me is more of a wink to the fans or narrative foreshadowing in some kind of way.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
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By an almost impossible conceptual leap, the distant myth of the poem becomes a foreshadowing and a prophecy of events that were, from Virgil’s own historical vantage point, already in the past.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Execs dream of a worldwide witching hour, where audiences in countries far and wide marvel at Brian Flores’ blitz packages and debate whether Jonnu Smith made a football move.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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Passersby pause to take in the beauty of her native plants or offer a compliment, and children, mouths agape and fingers pointing, marvel at the buzzing inhabitants.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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