PORTENDS Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

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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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 The emergence of Tolle behind them, though, is what portends best for Boston moving forward. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 The Dallas Cowboys’ lack of faith in starting right tackle Terence Steele portends a potentially big game Sunday night for Giants top pass rusher Brian Burns. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 The AfD’s victory in weekend German state elections portends huge change for the country, the continent, and the West more broadly. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026 But 160 Leroy portends a future that stretches the definition of what constitutes New York living into hitherto-unknown territory. — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026 Danica Rodmarel, an attorney who has litigated against bail bond corporations in the past, said the decision portends a difficult future for the industry. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The change marks the end of an era in fashion and portends the beginning of another one for Marc Jacobs, the man. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026 And then there’s the Ren Faire episode, where a McPoyle brothers’ cameo portends a closing joke so distressing my innocent little brain rejected all the warnings of its arrival. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026 Bozieva believes this approach to business portends the rise of the billion-dollar, one-person business. — Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends

Verb

Forrester predicts that more than half of layoffs attributed to AI will ultimately be reversed as companies encounter the challenges of replacing human talent prematurely.

— George Couris, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
That’s what Russ Eddins, sports editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, predicts the tailgating epicenter will feel like this Saturday, when Kiffin returns to town.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of predicts

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

Charlie Kirk's family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist's assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.

— CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 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 presages

Verb

Its maker, Ruiying Detection Technology, a spinoff from the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, calls it the smallest and lightest CT system ever built.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026
Sony took part in seven of those deals, building what MPA calls the industry’s only end-to-end anime operation.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of calls

Verb

At Saul's request, the witch summons what appears to be the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel, who foretells Saul's death in battle — raising the question of theodicy, or why an all-powerful God would allow an apparently diabolical act to occur.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
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

Definition of foretells

Verb

Pintscher, who will succeed current music director Jaime Martín beginning in 2027-28 season, augurs a new era for LACO.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of augurs

Verb

What was once a simple shelf of shampoo and brushes now reads more like a beauty counter.

— Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Readers might think that once all the words are on the page, the translation is basically done, and the translator only needs to go through it once or twice to make sure that everything reads well.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of reads

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“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of portends

verb

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