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
If the July unemployment report portends what’s to come, the picture is bound to get gloomier.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, this scenario represents a national obsession that has no inherent benefits but also portends deep regret for millions.
—Scott Liftman, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
The data portends major school closures soon, if Chicago Public Schools is to avoid bankruptcy and provide comparable educations to all its students.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2025
In the 90s, many feared what the rise in bisexual visibility might portend.
—Myisha Battle, Time, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, this scenario represents a national obsession that has no inherent benefits but also portends deep regret for millions.
—Scott Liftman, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
The data portends major school closures soon, if Chicago Public Schools is to avoid bankruptcy and provide comparable educations to all its students.
—Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2025
In the 90s, many feared what the rise in bisexual visibility might portend.
—Myisha Battle, Time, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend
Verb
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Bregman has been a key player for the team, but FanSided's Chris Landers predicts Bregman will not be back on the Red Sox next year.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Only 1 in 5 doctors accurately predicted their patients’ out-of-pocket costs, according to a 2021 JAMA investigation.—
Dr. Jill Grimes,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There were even marketing wars that sometimes backfired, as in 1994, when Owners Abroad promised a marketing blitz after rebranding to First Choice.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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The projects received millions in state and local tax incentives after promising to create thousands of new jobs.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And if the labor market is showing signs of a cold, that doesn’t bode well for the overall health of the economy.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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But the market performance bodes well for the NFL.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her attraction to coloring books presaged her minimal style.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
8 Sep. 2025
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The question facing Federal Reserve policymakers, who will meet next week, is whether the employment numbers presages a broader slump.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Was this what some people called analytic contentment?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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Laura Ashley has also worked with fragrance specialists Freckleface on a handmade candle called Vintage 100 that combines two of Laura’s favorite scents, English rose and wild blackberries.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But does the wet forecast foretell a cool-down?—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
27 Aug. 2025
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For most, such latitude foretells a long stretch to go.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Despite the seemingly sweet resolution to their storyline (and an ostensibly upbeat last line of dialogue), there’s a strange undercurrent to the Nagisa and Natsuo segment that suggests foreboding as much as potential happiness — a mysterious tension befitting the creator that Miyake is adapting.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
17 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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Husseini attempted to ply him with patronage, appointing him imam of a new mosque, but the cleric’s burgeoning following augured poorly for Husseini’s grip on power.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Millar, however, noted that a gauge of wholesale costs rose at the fastest pace in more than three years, auguring a further rise in consumer prices.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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