portends

verb

present tense third-person singular of portend
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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Example Sentences

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 portends Chairman Kevin Warsh has talked tough on inflation and his creation of task forces to study how the Fed operates seems a measured approach, but portends inaction. — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 24 July 2026 For millions of individuals and businesses who rely on professional preparers, the answer portends a frightening prospect if the return preparer is dishonest. — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 This seemingly portends a trade somewhere down the line, but for now, the Thunder capitalized on a talent tier drop-off ahead of the next group of players. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 24 June 2026 This is a delicate and dicey subject to even bring up, since the industry right now is in the grip of multiple perceptions and anxieties about what AI portends for the future of entertainment. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 June 2026 Regardless, Canadian space boosters say the launch portends more good things to come from a country eager to develop its own orbital lift capability. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026 Brian now realizes that the pilot’s loss of sphincter control portends not a momentary breakdown of bodily integrity but death. — Literary Hub, 4 May 2026 As with the Dred Scott decision that preceded the Civil War, such a blatantly undemocratic move portends some great cataclysm. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026 Anything below 50% favorability portends political trouble; right now Trump’s positive standing in polls hovers around a dismal 40%. — Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends
  1. predicts
  2. promises
  3. bodes
  4. presages
  5. calls
  6. foretells
  7. augurs
  8. reads
Verb
  • Most companies measure everything except the thing that actually predicts future performance.
    — Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The drivers are aging demographics, a growing short- and long-sighted population, and the smart eyewear boom; Euromonitor predicts a 48% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 2030 for the latter.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 July 2026
Definition of predicts
Verb
  • The documentary promises to go beyond the surface level for an intimate look at Young.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
  • At the North American dates, as the tour name suggests, the Los Angeles punk band promises a 20-song set for a clean $20.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
Definition of promises
Verb
  • That bodes extremely well for plane spotting out in broad daylight this summer.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 27 June 2026
  • The Obama Presidential Center opening June 18 also bodes well for tourism, both in burnishing the city’s image and creating a new attraction to draw domestic and international visitors to Chicago, Reynolds said.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of bodes
Verb
  • But a lack of accountability presages failure for California’s big reform.
    — Rachel Canter, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
  • An index of 50 is balanced and presages neither economic expansion nor contraction.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of presages
Verb
  • Kansas City is asking a judge to put control of a vacant former shopping mall that the city calls a nuisance into new hands.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • Wu, who studied the Walled City’s architecture in school, calls the setting a rare chance to build a mainstream action franchise around a genuinely singular piece of Hong Kong urban history.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of calls
Verb
  • Annabeth has grown to care for Percy, but like Thalia, his fate is possibly tied to a prophecy that foretells of him destroying or saving Olympus.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Inside a hotel ballroom about three miles north of the ballpark, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA interim director Bruce Meyer offered conflicting visions for the future of the sport, a disagreement that foretells a labor stoppage this winter.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of foretells
Verb
  • In the film’s ferocious climax, Jim is shot but escapes with Selena and Hannah, and the story closes (28 days later) back in the countryside as a jet flies over and augurs their rescue.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 24 June 2026
  • This augurs poorly for yen bulls.
    — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of augurs
Verb
  • The shortlist reads as a who’s who of global stars, with Michael Olise, Rodri, Vinicius Jr, Messi, and Lamine Yamal all making the top 20.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • To me, jasmine reads more mystical and fresh than hyper-femme or basic bloom.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 July 2026
Definition of reads

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Cite this Entry

“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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