bode

1 of 2

verb

ˈbōd

boded; boding

Synonyms of bode next

transitive verb

: to indicate (something, such as a future event) by signs : presage

bode disaster

recent data that bodes well for her reelection

archaic : to announce beforehand : foretell

bode

2 of 2

past tense of bide

Phrases

bode ill

: to show or suggest that future developments or events will be unfavorable or unwelcome : to be a sign of trouble to come

Any further diminishing of the species' gene pool can only bode ill for the future.—

John Hew Fanshawe

bode well

: to show or suggest that future developments or events will be good or favorable : to be a sign of good things to come

… the news … does not bode well for our future standard of living.—

Lester C. Thurow

Examples of bode in a Sentence

Verb This could bode disaster for all involved. her natural gift for reading boded well for her future in school

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But the overall design being near-identical to its predecessor doesn’t particularly bode well for the Surface Go 4. —

Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 21 Sep. 2023 The exposure doesn’t bode well for open-source as its role in AI is being fiercely debated, including as part of the Senate’s probe into potential AI regulation. —

Bysage Lazzaro, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2023 That doesn’t bode well for the news industry or, more importantly, democracy at large. —

Oliver Darcy, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023 Typically, that doesn’t bode well for passengers as quality can be hit-or-miss. —

Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2023 Over the long run, that does not bode well for the health of the planet — and our own well being. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023 However, the ruling, by Judge Steve C. Jones of the Northern District of Georgia, does not bode well for any of those efforts. —

Danny Hakim, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023 Yet Doug McMillon, the chief executive at Walmart, said at a conference this week that he had been surprised by consumers’ resilience this year, and that a solid start to back-to-school shopping boded well for the holiday season. —

Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 Though the city hasn't attracted the attention the northwest corner receives, recent developments bode well for the Arkansas River Valley. —

Rex Nelson, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bode.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.