as in predicts
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 portends
Dickerson’s looming exit portends significant changes to the flagship evening newscast, which has been stuck in third place behind ABC News and NBC News for years.
—
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The season ends on a cliffhanger, a choice that’s both frustrating but at least portends a seemingly inevitable second installment that can elaborate on what’s initially left bare bones.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
More concerning still is what the expiration of AGOA portends for the future, the academic believes.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Google believes Gemini's ability to perform well in these kinds of advanced academic competitions portends AI's future in industries like semiconductor engineering and biotechnology.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Beasley has an offensive skillset that portends well on most teams.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Mpox researchers and doctors say the lackluster global response portends poorly for mpox's future potential as well as other disease threats.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
If the July unemployment report portends what’s to come, the picture is bound to get gloomier.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The season ends on a cliffhanger, a choice that’s both frustrating but at least portends a seemingly inevitable second installment that can elaborate on what’s initially left bare bones.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
More concerning still is what the expiration of AGOA portends for the future, the academic believes.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Google believes Gemini's ability to perform well in these kinds of advanced academic competitions portends AI's future in industries like semiconductor engineering and biotechnology.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Beasley has an offensive skillset that portends well on most teams.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Mpox researchers and doctors say the lackluster global response portends poorly for mpox's future potential as well as other disease threats.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
If the July unemployment report portends what’s to come, the picture is bound to get gloomier.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends
Verb
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Barzilay predicts that in many low-income countries AI will soon be integrated into health systems similar to how much of Africa skipped over landlines and went straight to cell phones.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
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However, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a hole in the outfield, and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicts Bellinger will go back to his former team.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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StubHub is among the companies collaborating with OpenAI directly since its debut of Operator in January, which promises to perform actions online.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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The film promises to explore Michael Jackson’s complex legacy through both iconic performances and personal moments.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This obviously bodes incredibly well for the future of the Jets.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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One thing that bodes well for TCU was the timing of the bye week.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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But a second round of arguments is a rare occurrence at the Supreme Court, and sometimes presages a major change by the justices.—
MARK SHERMAN,
Arkansas Online,
30 June 2024
Verb
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The announcement from Thailand also calls into question the already tentative release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war, who were scheduled to be handed over under the terms of the declaration.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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Lindsey Hopkins — which everyone calls Lindsey — opened in 1941 as a school to train veterans returning from fighting in the second world war.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For most, such latitude foretells a long stretch to go.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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No scripture foretells GPUs, gradient descent, or multimodal transformers.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Vegas has struggled on offense but rookie RB Ashton Jeanty’s breakout game last week augurs well.—
Greg Cote
October 2,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mulzet reads an excerpt from Herscht 07769, which takes its title from the protagonist’s decision to write German Chancellor Angela Merkel a letter using only his name and postcode as a return address.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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This one radiates intrigue without trying, a cool blend of rhubarb, rose, and vetiver that reads sophisticated but spontaneous.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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