as in to predict
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
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Recent Examples of portend
However, that decline started to ease in the second half of 2024, which could portend more favorable winds for the luxury sector this year.
—
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2025
At 23, De La Cruz isn't a finished product at the plate or on defense, but his athletic skill and 6-foot-5 frame portend a high ceiling for him in 2025.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
Beyond the mechanics of such a MAGA mega-bill, Trump should give some thought to what his ideas actually portend for the country.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
This year’s biggest swing was also one of the worst misfires, with early screenings prior to its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival portending critical and financial doom.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portend
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2025
At 23, De La Cruz isn't a finished product at the plate or on defense, but his athletic skill and 6-foot-5 frame portend a high ceiling for him in 2025.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025
Beyond the mechanics of such a MAGA mega-bill, Trump should give some thought to what his ideas actually portend for the country.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2025
This year’s biggest swing was also one of the worst misfires, with early screenings prior to its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival portending critical and financial doom.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for portend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend
Verb
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Oregon, Virginia, Nevada and Louisiana are among the states predicted by the KFF to experience the biggest drop in Medicaid enrolment should the cuts happen, as the map above shows.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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Minimizing that risk sometimes allowed U.S. adversaries to predict and even dictate the tempo of these interactions.—
HAL BRANDS,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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After a brief and relatively quiet week for earnings, this week promises to bring a wave of significant reports, offering valuable insights into the future trajectory of key sectors such as AI, technology, and finance.—
Vinamrata Chaturvedi,
Quartz,
23 Feb. 2025
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Android 16 promises to make Android even better, even more secure.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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State of play: Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer and Council President Blaine Griffin went at each other in public remarks, presaging what could be a larger ideological battle about the new ward map.—
Sam Allard,
Axios,
26 Nov. 2024
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Indeed, opposition to elements of the American System was one of the chief policy goals of early Democratic politicians such as Andrew Jackson, and fights over the system presaged later sectional fights leading up to the Civil War.—
Erik Guzik / The Conversation,
Quartz,
4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Congress might also call on President Biden to ban TikTok under the IEEPA.—
Emily Baker-White,
Forbes,
14 Feb. 2023
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Kia customers can also call customer care at 1-800-333-4542 or check out owners.kia.com/us/en/kia-owner-portal.html.—
Saleen Martin,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
Verb
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Kessler’s hiring could foretell antitrust litigation that would rattle a hockey world already coming to terms with the NCAA allowing more junior players to join Division I college teams.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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Written soon after the death of Mahler’s daughter and soon before his own, the symphony is a sombre, reflective, and reverberant adieu, brewing such melancholy that Leonard Bernstein theorized that Mahler was foretelling his own end.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Despite the difficulty, in some cases the stakes are so high—as with North Korea and its nuclear weapons—that armies will have no choice but to take the fight to what is often a vast, foreboding underworld.—
Kyle Mizokami,
Popular Mechanics,
27 June 2023
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There are foreboding close-ups on clock faces and their fast-changing digits.—
Erica Gonzales,
ELLE,
23 June 2023
Verb
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Netanyahu’s return might seem to augur a shift in Israeli foreign policy.—
Dahlia Scheindlin,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2022
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But Selzer’s poll could be a sign of Harris’s strength with white voters in that region of the country, which could augur well for her in neighboring Wisconsin.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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