bode

1 of 2

verb

ˈbōd 

boded; boding

transitive verb

1

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

bode disaster

recent data that bodes well for her reelection

2

archaic : to announce beforehand : foretell

see also:

bode ill bode well

bode

2 of 2

past tense of bide

Synonyms of bode

Verb

• promise
• forebode

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

Perhaps the changes will bode well in Game 5 with their season on the line, but maybe Game 4 would have been different had the Canadiens either started this way or in any different way from the previous two games, which went so poorly for them. —Arpon Basu, New York Times, 28 May 2026

Those figures bode ill for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, whose organizers are also counting on a robust flow of foreign visitors. —Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026

While these individuals are taking significant wealth with them, it’s been far from a mass exodus, which bodes well for the state’s coffers in the near term should the proposal pass. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 27 May 2026

This bodes well for what can be done with general-purpose AI. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English bodian; akin to Old English bēodan to proclaim — more at bid entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing bode

• bode ill
• bode well

Rhymes for bode

• blowed
• code
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed
• mode

Kids Definition

bode

1 of 2 verb

ˈbōd 

boded; boding

: to indicate (as a future event) by signs : foreshadow

bode

2 of 2

past of bide