PORTEND Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

portend

verb

Definition of portend

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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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 portend But 160 Leroy portends a future that stretches the definition of what constitutes New York living into hitherto-unknown territory. — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026 If the come-from-behind victory and the roar of more than 45,000 fans on Saturday afternoon were any indication, Anderson’s arrival could portend great things is Seattle for the rest of this season, and for many more to come. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Danica Rodmarel, an attorney who has litigated against bail bond corporations in the past, said the decision portends a difficult future for the industry. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The change marks the end of an era in fashion and portends the beginning of another one for Marc Jacobs, the man. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for portend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend

Verb

Given Polymarket’s popularity, its prices can feed back into the events its bets supposedly only predict.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Many Democratic leaders predict that the House majority is all but theirs, and that the Senate majority, almost unthinkable a year ago, is nearly in their grasp as well.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of predict

Verb

The electric motors run on an 850-volt architecture that promises up to 400 miles of range, with up to 200 miles added in as little as 13 minutes of charging.

— Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
So fraternities promise that kind of friendship and loyalty, and also for young people, 18-year-olds, many of whom are unsure of themselves, fraternities and sororities say this is the way to be popular.

— Richard Hall, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of promise

Verb

This does not bode particularly well for Feyenoord, who finished a hefty 19 points behind 2025-26 Eredivisie champions PSV.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
This did not bode well with the Love Island USA fanbase and Miller and Pessoa took to social media to defend their stance.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 June 2026

Definition of bode

Verb

Charlie Kirk's family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist's assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.

— CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Their ’90s output handily presaged the logic of media like the shows that aired on Adult Swim, adapting the bounciness and surrealism of childhood stories to biting adult sensibilities.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of presage

Verb

These two brothers, Kamorion and AJ, are looking for an active, loving and committed family to call their own.

— The Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Spread across the 1,400 square feet first floor for visitors to see are eight human bodies, their organs and blood vessels, all preserved through a process called plastination.

— Emma Hall October 3, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of call

Verb

What that film didn’t foretell was the Pakistani-American director’s fluent command of dizzy action setpieces.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
That night foretold a scenario that has kept repeating itself, which has revealed a clear dysfunction between the tournament’s schedule and the nature of tennis in 2026.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of foretell

Verb

There was no obvious precipitating event, but the encroachment of Grok seemed foreboding.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
The windowless hallways are narrow in the federal building that houses this immigration court, and the agents’ stocky bodies are foreboding in the tight corridors.

— Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025

Definition of forebode

Verb

Her performance against Spain’s Paula Badosa may augur more for her ceiling for the rest of the event.

— Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
After performing his stunning Saxophone Concerto with the San Diego Symphony last year, Banks’ overdue SummerFest debut for three concerts this month augur well for his return here as soon as possible.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of augur

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“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of portend

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