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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of portend Iran is not the only Middle Eastern country excluded from the emerging security arrangement that Mecca portends. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Four home games and a neutral-site affair in London in the season’s first seven weeks could portend a strong start. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 And cuts in federal funding for Medicaid, a federal-state insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities, also portend fewer resources and services. — Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 31 July 2026 At this point, things take a supernatural leap that has already been portended by various visions and nightmares. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for portend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend

Verb

In less than 15 years, demographers predict 25 percent of the county, about 800,000 people, will be 60 and older.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
When videotape arrived, many predicted that watching movies at home would damage theatres.

— Cory Jacobson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of predict

Verb

The couple was ready to back out, but the contractor promised to repair the damage at no extra cost, and an inspector said that Pinky’s bones were still good.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Samsung also promises improved video quality at night, calling it brighter and clearer with less noise.

— James Peckham, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of promise

Verb

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
The backlash to the Barbara decision presages another legal and cultural battle over the meaning of the 14th Amendment and its role in the debate over who is recognized as an American citizen, observers say.

— Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026

Definition of presage

Verb

Though Derrick Moore had never played or coached the sport, that didn’t stop him from starting a team so the students could have an extracurricular activity to call their own.

— Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
The supplement glutathione, given through an IV or an inhaler-like machine called a nebulizer, has not been proven to be safe or effective and could expose firefighters to illness if there is contamination while it's produced, experts say.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of call

Verb

Ned Davis Research chief global strategist Tim Hayes also maintains a Secular Bear Watch model meant to foretell equity ice ages.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
The stitched panels foretell Helaena's own suicide and depict Rhaenyra still clinging to the Iron Throne, powerful but brutal.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 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

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
Being left out of Arsenal’s matchday squad for the Community Shield does not augur well for Martinelli’s future.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026