imminent

adjective

im·​mi·​nent ˈi-mə-nənt How to pronounce imminent (audio)
: ready to take place : happening soon
… systems engineers have become rather blasé about the imminent liftoff.Steven L. Thompson
often used of something bad or dangerous seen as menacingly near
imminent disaster
Like books, board games appear headed for imminent demise at the hands of cathode-ray terminals.Will Manley
imminently adverb

Did you know?

On Imminent and Eminent

Imminent bears a close resemblance to eminent, and native English-speakers can be excused if they sometimes have to check their spelling. No surprise, really, since the two, despite their very distinct meanings, come from near-identical sources. The Latin minēre means basically “to project, overhang,” and it forms the root of other Latin words. One added the prefix e-, meaning “out from,” to produce eminēre, “to stand out”; another took the prefix im-, meaning “upon,” and became imminēre, “to project.” The difference between “stand out” and “project” is obviously small. Still, even when eminent and imminent first appeared as English words in the 15th and 16th centuries respectively, they were clearly distinct in meaning, imminent’s prefix having strengthened the “overhang” sense of minēre to give the word its frequent suggestion of looming threat.

Examples of imminent in a Sentence

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the local authorities were momentarily stunned, and began frantically trying to prepare for what they feared were further imminent attacks. Richard A. Clarke, Atlantic, January/February 2005
The compression squashes the bullet slightly, enabling about a half-dozen spiral grooves cut along the barrel's inner wall to grab the bullet and make it spin. That spin stabilizes the bullet's imminent flight. Peter Weiss, Science News, 11 Jan. 2003
Plaints about the imminent demise of the language are made in every century. But there is usually nothing inherently wrong with most changes the purists deplore. Steven Pinker, New York Times, 24 Dec. 1999
We are awaiting their imminent arrival. These patients are facing imminent death.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Today's top stories A ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon may be imminent. Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024 But the Russians aren’t about to quit, and their biggest push may be imminent. David Axe, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 As reported, sources have said an announcement by Chanel of its new creative director could be imminent. Luisa Zargani, WWD, 25 Nov. 2024 Rumors of imminent continuous lactate monitors have been around for many years. Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for imminent 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English imynent, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French iminent, emynant, borrowed from Latin imminent-, imminens, present participle of imminēre "to rise up, project so as to overhang (of a structure or natural feature), be intent, impend (of something unpleasant or dangerous), threaten," from im- im- + -minēre, taken to mean "stand out, rise above" (unattested without a prefix) — more at minatory

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of imminent was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near imminent

Cite this Entry

“Imminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imminent. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

imminent

adjective
im·​mi·​nent ˈim-ə-nənt How to pronounce imminent (audio)
: being about to happen
in imminent danger
imminently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on imminent

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