as in predicting
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 portending
The bad omens came early at this year’s Burning Man — the infamously wild, weeklong celebration of art, music, and unrestrained self-expression held at the end of every summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert — portending a particularly extra-ordinary burn.
—
Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portending
Verb
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Dexcom — Shares of the glucose monitor manufacturer rose more than 5% after preannouncing fourth-quarter results and offering a forecast for 2026, predicting revenue growth of between 11% and 13%.—
Christina Cheddar Berk,Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
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Many pundits were predicting a big Best Motion Picture Drama win for Sinners, and that might have been very popular for the audience at home, which actually has heard of and maybe even seen that hit film.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Suamataia’s performance was promising enough that Kansas City moved Thuney to the Chicago Bears in March.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
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Those vulnerabilities allow predators an opportunity to gain the trust of victims of any age by promising to meet those needs or to provide safety, housing or affection.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning at Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens, the new sanctuary honoring pathbreaking sculptor Alexander Calder, presaging its opening to the public, which is set for September 21.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At least 100 demonstrators gathered in New York City's Federal Plaza in the rain Saturday afternoon to condemn the shooting, calling for justice for Good's family and the abolishment of ICE.—
Kristie Keleshian,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Several minutes later, officers responded to a report of a man calling for help near Northeast 146th Avenue and East Burnside after being shot.—
Taylor Romine,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nile is skeletal like Jared Kushner; his thinness is foreboding, marking a disavowal of all that is sensual.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
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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
Verb
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Varas and sporting director Tyler Heaps did fabulous work, boding well for a stellar second season.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Nov. 2025
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Now, the woman seems to be replete with suggestions, boding well for yet another January birthday to keep the holiday spirit going.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Apparently, the little man was an oracle, foretelling deaths with certainty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
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The opening night in Brazil provided the ominous but apparently foretelling moment, when one star player left his passing lane on a game-deciding third down.—
Sam McDowell
Updated December 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
“Portending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portending. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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