1
as in feels
a feeling that something bad will happen
I had a nagging presage that the results of my medical tests would not be good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in heralds
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the sight of the first robin is always a welcome presage of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in predicts
to tell of or describe beforehand
people used to believe that a comet presaged a major event, such as the death of a king
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of presages
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The tension between those companies and the state, which previously issued cease-and-desist letters to prediction markets, potentially presages a state-by-state conflict that plays out across the country.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 12 Nov. 2025
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
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
Noun
For Swain, the rise of directs presages nothing less than a revolution in the world’s financial markets.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Verb
The company is facing similar litigation in Nevada — and while the injunction is only temporary, and focuses on sports betting, the legal action presages the broader efforts by states to protect the lucrative revenue gambling brings in.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The tension between those companies and the state, which previously issued cease-and-desist letters to prediction markets, potentially presages a state-by-state conflict that plays out across the country.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 12 Nov. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presages
Noun
-
Walking in feels like stepping into a time capsule, with classic oldies music, folk concerts, dinners and celebrations happening year‑round.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Looking ahead to the weekend, a First Alert Weather Day is in place for Saturday, as feels-like temperatures in the morning will be as cold as 0.—
Michael Autovino,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
New studies, however, clearly show that medical marijuana is not nearly as effective as the pro-marijuana lobby heralds.—
Mike Gimbel,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The indie feature heralds from Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If this trend continues, one geneticist predicts that humans could someday live as long as 150 years, based on growing research in biological aging and rejuvenation.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
And research firm Gartner published a report this week that predicts 50% of companies that cut customer service staff due to AI will rehire workers to perform similar tasks, but under different titles, by 2027.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
A day of poring over records, however, gave up nothing more than hints and shadows.—
Eugene Robinson,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Butterfly décor and hints of Mariah Carey lavender filled the Los Angeles Convention Center as the Queen of Christmas and R&B legend was celebrated on her big night.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Musk’s trimming of his previous space travel predictions came after SpaceX acquired XAI last week, in a move that will merge two of his most ambitious companies into the most valuable private firm in the world.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Here are our picks and predictions for the men’s hockey tournament, with expert analysis and critique from senior writers Sean Gentille, Mark Lazerus and James Mirtle, analytics know-it-all Shayna Goldman and goaltending expert Jesse Granger.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most strikingly, some are from the near future, and have an uncanny resemblance to premonitions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The youngest chewing-gum seller would adopt the conspiratorial tones of a seasoned Kremlinologist, seeing signs and premonitions in every event.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Carol’s favorite, Bella Donna, does not carry the same dark portents.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Black cats can be portents of bad luck.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Not saying there aren’t omens worth acknowledging, like the first half against Texas A&M and Notre Dame missing on another five-star prospect under Brian Kelly.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Favourable Winds For The UK Index At the risk of speaking too soon, so far the omens are pretty good.—
John Stepek,
Bloomberg,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Presages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presages. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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