Definition of portend
Read the Latest from M-W
portend was our Word of the Day on 02/18/2013. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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
-
Online shopping, job automation and store closings combine to portend a loss of up to half of current retail jobs in the country.
-
That was not just because of his line drive home runs, which traveled 440 and 434 feet, but because of what a return to last year’s form might portend for the Yankees.
-
Current conditions across the Atlantic basin and beyond portend a favorable environment for tropical cyclone development in the coming months.
-
This seems to be all right with the conservative right wing, and today's growing income gap, along with decreasing environmental protections, portends that that may be our future once again.
-
Mike Dubke, the White House communications director, has resigned from his position, a move that could portend a wider shakeup of the team, CBS News and The Washington Post are reporting Tuesday.
-
But the Mistral buy might also portend a future Russian arms industry that is truly globalized, and thus more efficient.
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.
Other Occult Terms
PORTEND Defined for English Language Learners
portend
playDefinition of portend for English Language Learners
-
: to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
PORTEND Defined for Kids
portend
playDefinition of portend for Students
portended
;portending
: to give a sign or warning of beforehand Distant thunder portended a storm.
Learn More about portend
-
See words that rhyme with portend Spanish Central: Translation of portend Nglish: Translation of portend for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up portend? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!