impending

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

Synonyms of impending

• upcoming
• approaching
• coming

Examples of impending in a Sentence

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

This impending surge in lunar traffic makes time-sensitive missions like CosmoCube crucial to capturing the universe’s earliest faint signals before the quietest sanctuary in the solar system becomes noisy. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026

At Universal Studios Florida, there has been visual evidence of the impending Halloween Horror Nights for weeks, as props for the event’s outdoor scare zones have been moved into place for broad daylight observation. — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

As for the future, Trent Grisham’s impending return to free agency could create an opening for Jones in the middle of the Yankees’ outfield. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026

Local fisherman Wyck Crawford, played by a delightfully rascally Stephen Root, serves as Loftis’ human antagonist, warning the mayor of impending doom. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of impend

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for impending

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