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
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
And the future portends even more dealmaking.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 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
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
And the future portends even more dealmaking.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 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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When combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, these tools created in NASA labs will strengthen wildfire prevention and firefighting efforts, Cwik predicts.—
Michele Raphael,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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The National Weather Service predicts a chance of showers in the days leading up to the holiday.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The new lineup, which builds on Qualcomm’s neural processing unit (NPU) technology leadership, promises rack-scale performance with superior memory capacity.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
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ExpressVPN only takes around five minutes to set up, and also promises lightning-quick connectivity and 24-hour live-chat support, and allows users to connect to any device, from computers to phones to tablets.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While 2025 has been an off-cycle year for India's stock market, a new technical catalyst is on the horizon that bodes well for a strong finish to the year, in both absolute and relative terms.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
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That bodes well for Weston Wilson and Otto Kemp, unless the Phillies opt to carry third catcher Garrett Stubbs as a potential pinch runner.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 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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Additionally, the letter calls on Congressional support for the European Union to overturn its ban on Sulfuryl Fluoride, a pesticide used to fumigate Southern Yellow Pine wood chips on breakbulk cargo ships.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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In the spirit of art imitating life, the episode calls attention to the proliferation of potentially toxic chemicals in the products many of us slather daily on our face, body and hair.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 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
Cite this Entry
“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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