as in impending
giving signs of immediate occurrence
some economists see a looming collapse of the stock market
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brewing
to be about to happen
he tried to take a proactive approach to dealing with the problems that loomed ahead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of looming
Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Who’s the likeliest to lose at-bats with catcher Sean Murphy’s looming return?
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
That is all well and good in theory, but the looming spectre of relegation often means those teams near the bottom of the table find another gear at this stage of a season.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee, in his latest notice to Lebanese civilians issued via social media, warned residents in the southern village of Habboush to flee their homes ahead of looming strikes.
—May 1, CBS News, 1 May 2026
The 94-year-old edifice, looming majestically over Boyle Heights, stopped taking patients nearly two decades ago.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
While the Yankees don’t seem to be motivated by service time manipulation, that is important to note with a decision on Volpe looming.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
California’s looming jet fuel crisis.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
With Leg 1 looming versus Toluca, LAFC did not travel a full group.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Yet looming over the era was the specter of the 1984 Sino-British Declaration, which sealed Hong Kong’s fate as a future territory of China.
—Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Who’s the likeliest to lose at-bats with catcher Sean Murphy’s looming return?
—Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
That is all well and good in theory, but the looming spectre of relegation often means those teams near the bottom of the table find another gear at this stage of a season.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee, in his latest notice to Lebanese civilians issued via social media, warned residents in the southern village of Habboush to flee their homes ahead of looming strikes.
—May 1, CBS News, 1 May 2026
The 94-year-old edifice, looming majestically over Boyle Heights, stopped taking patients nearly two decades ago.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
While the Yankees don’t seem to be motivated by service time manipulation, that is important to note with a decision on Volpe looming.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
California’s looming jet fuel crisis.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
With Leg 1 looming versus Toluca, LAFC did not travel a full group.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for looming
Adjective
-
The impending end of the Colbert era was weighing on them all.—
Mark Yarm,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Though signs of its impending closure were all around this past weekend, the New Black Wall Street Market was having one last hurrah.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Signals for a rocky road Early this season, there were signs that trouble could be brewing for the Magic.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
At the same time, something deeper is brewing behind the scenes.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
One way of approaching this is to go back to our earlier discussion about attitudes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Kazmierczak is sitting in the front row and stands up, quickly approaching Omar and squirting apple cider vinegar on her with a syringe.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Looming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looming. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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