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
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
Giants officials were hoping to see more progress with what otherwise portends to be a troublesome issue against major-league pitching.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 5 May 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
Anything below 50% favorability portends political trouble; right now Trump’s positive standing in polls hovers around a dismal 40%.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
But its rapid scale up portends major changes in the machinery of American health care, swapping manual processes for ones driven by a multitude of AI products.
—Casey Ross, STAT, 6 Apr. 2026
This dynamic portends a tragic end for Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Giants officials were hoping to see more progress with what otherwise portends to be a troublesome issue against major-league pitching.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 5 May 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
Anything below 50% favorability portends political trouble; right now Trump’s positive standing in polls hovers around a dismal 40%.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
But its rapid scale up portends major changes in the machinery of American health care, swapping manual processes for ones driven by a multitude of AI products.
—Casey Ross, STAT, 6 Apr. 2026
This dynamic portends a tragic end for Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends
Verb
-
If intelligence compounds as Nadella predicts, this time there will be a real first-mover advantage that didn’t exist in the internet era.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
Chasing atomic limits To overcome that challenge, the KAIST team relied on first-principles calculations, a computational approach that predicts material behavior using the laws of physics rather than experimental data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive.—
R.J. Rico,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
-
The program also promises a job offer for graduates.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
That bodes well for the flagship Art Basel fair, opening to VIPs at the Swiss city’s Messeplatz on Tuesday.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Housing tends to punch its weight economically, so any boost here certainly bodes well for the bull market.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
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
Verb
-
The agreement calls for an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and sets out expectations for the next phase of talks, which will tackle more challenging issues, mainly the future of Iran's nuclear program.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
Engaging in what sociologist Staci Newmahr calls edgework, or risky behavior that transgresses social boundaries with another human, produces intimacy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
What that foretells for keeping that split career ongoing into the future remains to be told.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
From the Russian perspective, all of this lines up with Europe’s history and foretells its destiny.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This augurs poorly for yen bulls.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The image of James’s paper lantern, let go and floating up into the night sky like a second moon, augurs his eventual fleeing from his family.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Oliphant also reads the wind, moon, tide, and season—and teaches others to do the same—to maximize chances of scoring the best shells on the best beaches.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
15 June 2026
-
For lenders that use artificial intelligence to decide who gets a mortgage, the rule reads like relief.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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