portend

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verb por·tend \pȯr-ˈtend\

Definition of portend

transitive verb
1 : to give an omen or anticipatory sign of
2 : indicate, signify

See portend defined for English-language learners

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Examples of portend in a Sentence

The distant thunder portended a storm.
If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.

Recent Examples of portend from the Web

The move portends a potentially tougher stance by the administration of President Trump against Lebanon in the months ahead and has sent alarm bells ringing in Beirut and among the Army’s supporters in Washington.

— nicholas blanford, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why US may slash military aid to an ally it helped build up in Lebanon," 18 July 2017
But the collapse of this third section could also portend worse things to come for the ice shelf, write Jugal K. Patel and Justin Gillis for The New York Times.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Delaware-Sized Iceberg Breaks Off Antarctica," 13 July 2017
The action, which portends the establishment of the nation’s first overseas military base, is especially significant in light of Djibouti’s advantageous location at the Horn of Africa.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Antartica Just Lost a Massive Block of Ice," 12 July 2017
Whether in ancient Rome or ancient China, nothing portended calamity like an emperor who flouted the formalities.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Donald Trump Too Offensive to be President?," 6 July 2017
Whether in ancient Rome or ancient China, nothing portended calamity like an emperor who flouted the formalities.

— t.a. frank, The Hive, "Is Donald Trump Too Offensive to be President?," 6 July 2017
Portman would normally be an ally, and tensions with him could portend problems for winning over several other members thought to be on the fence or resistant to the current direction.

— Fox News, "Trump challenges GOP senators to repeal ObamaCare now, replace later if no deal," 30 June 2017
Still, sharp divisions — portending likely conflicts in the future for negotiators — were readily apparent.

— don lee, latimes.com, "After 3 days and 140 witnesses, public hearing on NAFTA hints at huge work ahead for U.S. negotiators," 29 June 2017
Does this mature look portend the next phase in his ongoing evolution?

— lizzie logan, Allure, "Eminem Got a New Beard and the Internet Can't Handle It," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'portend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Portend has been used in English in the context of signs of things to come since the 15th century. The word derives from the Latin verb portendere, which means "to predict or foretell." That verb, in turn, developed as a combination of the prefix por- (meaning "forward") and the verb "tendere" (meaning "to stretch"). So you can think of "portend" as having a literal meaning of "stretching forward to predict." Additional descendants of "tendere" include "extend," "tendon," and "tension," among others.