pending 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of pendingnext
1
as in unsettled
not yet settled or decided a decision is pending about whether to buy computers or sports equipment with this money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in upcoming
being soon to appear or take place a pending review of your work so far this term

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in impending
giving signs of immediate occurrence the sky darkened with a pending storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pending

2 of 2

preposition

ˈpen-diŋ How to pronounce pending (audio)
as in during
in the course of the government must continue to function pending negotiations for next year's budget

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pending
Adjective
Authorities have not publicly identified a cause or manner of death, and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's autopsy and toxicology results remain pending. — Stepheny Price , Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Those charges remain pending, but the brothers were allowed to leave the country in February 2025 and headed to Florida. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 July 2026
Preposition
Judges have blocked Alabama's and Arkansas' measures from taking effect pending litigation. — Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2022 Since Sorokin is currently in Immigration and Enforcement custody pending deportation, the video interview happened in fits and starts because Cooper and Sorokin had to keep reconnecting on the phone when time was up. — Lisa Respers France, CNN, 17 Mar. 2022 See All Example Sentences for pending
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pending
  1. unsettled
  2. upcoming
  3. impending
  4. during
  5. unresolved
  6. approaching
  7. undetermined
  8. coming
Adjective
  • Another round of unsettled weather is possible Friday into Saturday.
    — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • At its core, the competition remains unsettled largely because neither player has convincingly outplayed the other and won the job.
    — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettled
Adjective
  • The timing is combustible The launch lands weeks after Apple sued OpenAI, alleging theft of trade secrets and confidential information about upcoming products.
    — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The upcoming Moto devices won’t ship with GrapheneOS, but they will be fully supported by the project with help from Moto itself.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of upcoming
Adjective
  • Netanyahu brands Erdogan an ‘antisemitic tyrant’ Netanyahu and Katz have pushed back on the political motivation narrative, warning instead of an impending Turkish footprint in Syria.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That said, this episode — which focused on Barney trying to win over Robin’s scary father as Ted tried to deal with his feelings about his pals’ impending nuptials — hit the right notes, both emotionally and mythologically.
    — Erin Strecker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of impending
Preposition
  • The outage comes during what could be Southern California's hottest week of the year.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The state has only seen three cases during that period, the department said.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of during
Adjective
  • Thirty years later, still unfinished Nearly 30 years on, the case remains unresolved in the fullest sense.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • However, sources told royal insider Rob Shuter that the real reason behind Harry and Meghan’s move to the UK is because of Harry’s unresolved US immigration controversy.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of unresolved
Adjective
  • Fall is fast approaching, but the Red Sox look like their spring selves again in the worst way.
    — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
  • While the deadline is fast approaching, Montour keeps working away.
    — Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of approaching
Adjective
  • Her exact cause of death remains undetermined, pending toxicology results which could take up to eight weeks.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The report, released this month, found the cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the head, but the manner of death was undetermined.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of undetermined
Adjective
  • The most valuable customer of the coming decade may never open your app or click on your ad.
    — Himanshu Sinha, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Such numbers will jump dramatically in the coming years, if all goes to plan.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of coming

Browse Nearby Words

pendent
pending
pendulous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pending. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All