as in to predict
formal + literary
to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The distant thunder portended a storm. If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
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Recent Examples of portend
This competition not only portends the future of many other countries but also what great power competition will look like as energy evolves.
—
Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The European Central Bank on Thursday cut its main interest rate as Trump’s tariffs portend to impact the region’s economy.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
Entering last year’s Masters, Morikawa’s numbers weren’t portending greatness ahead.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
All of his best highlights seem to portend defeat for his team, including other poster dunks on Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and Houston’s Cam Whitmore this season.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The European Central Bank on Thursday cut its main interest rate as Trump’s tariffs portend to impact the region’s economy.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
Entering last year’s Masters, Morikawa’s numbers weren’t portending greatness ahead.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
All of his best highlights seem to portend defeat for his team, including other poster dunks on Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and Houston’s Cam Whitmore this season.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend
Verb
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Scientists predict that within the next 15 years this ice cap will disappear in summer for the first time in millennia, accelerating global warming.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
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The test predicted that my father’s risk of dying from the disease in the next five years was less than 5%.—
Luisel Ricks-Santi,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Of course, no lead is secure in the golf world, so Sunday promises to be full of intrigue and excitement at Quail Hollow.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
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Unfortunately, Swift never promised to be part of the prize.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 May 2025
Verb
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This unilateral order presaged a series of alarming power grabs in the following months—beginning with immigration.—
Kica Matos,
Time,
2 May 2025
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Now, though, an executive order signed by President Trump could presage legal challenges of pioneering California laws that overhauled school discipline by banning willful defiance suspensions for K-12 students.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Anyone who would like to get connected to treatment, or knows someone who does, can call 1-800-563-4086 or visit connectgnh.org at any day or time.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
14 Feb. 2023
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Breakouts might call for the Salicylic + Green Tea Exfoliating Cleanser and Aloe + Algae Lightweight Gel Cream, whereas dry skin might crave a boost of moisture from the Hyaluronic + Arnica Hydrating Serum.—
Lisa DeSantis,
Allure,
14 Feb. 2023
Verb
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That could foretell how the justices would rule on antitrust cases regarding NIL or paying athletes to play sports.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 May 2025
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Utah’s Great Salt Lake is drying up, foretelling a dire future for residents of Salt Lake City and the surrounding region if something isn’t done soon to reverse the lake’s decline.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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With the third season of The White Lotus well underway—and its signature sense of foreboding steadily mounting—cast member Michelle Monaghan was in anything but ominous spirits last night at The Mark Hotel.—
Laura Neilson,
Vogue,
19 Mar. 2025
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Too on-the-nose to be foreboding, such clips offer a window into Linda’s mindset, as do antagonistic sessions with her therapist (and co-worker), amusingly played by Conan O’Brien with a look of constant gastric discomfort on his face that suggests her concerns may be giving him ulcers.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The jump could augur a potential wave of bankruptcy filings as consumers start to buckle under a record level of debt and as tariffs fuel inflation, the company warned in a report this week.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
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So far, the Trump administration’s moves with China augur well.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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