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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Recent Examples of portend
So, this portends very well for what will happen for the rest of the administration.
—
Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Given the season of surprises, does this year’s turnaround portend a new stability?
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Supermarket empires came away from the pandemic years with record profits, but the disastrous Kroger merger attempt does portend some chop in the water.
—Nate Rogers, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Could Anthony and Mayer’s recent performances portend a big league promotion in the near future?
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Given the season of surprises, does this year’s turnaround portend a new stability?
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Supermarket empires came away from the pandemic years with record profits, but the disastrous Kroger merger attempt does portend some chop in the water.
—Nate Rogers, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Could Anthony and Mayer’s recent performances portend a big league promotion in the near future?
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend
Verb
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Something like our turbulence prediction module might someday be inserted into bigger climate models that can do better at predicting things like hurricanes.—
Steve Nadis,
Wired News,
1 June 2025
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Retailers are unable to predict pricing for later in the year due to the uncertainty of where tariffs will land.—
Shelley E. Kohan,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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The state promised more than $154 million in incentives over the next 10 years, and the Fortune 500 company has committed $175 million in private investment for the project to renovate 427,000 square feet of space across two Aspiria Campus buildings.—
Taylor O’Connor,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
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Tesla has not confirmed that start date, but has been promising to launch a robotaxi ride-hailing service in Austin before the end of June.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The mixed messaging would presage his style as a pontiff whose doctrinal conservatism would blend with increasingly progressive public statements.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
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Dolan’s timidity in February presaged the decision of the bishops’ conference to wind down the refugee program in April, apparently without any attempt to sustain it independently.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Marx himself would call DEI a classic case of ideology, a set of benign-seeming ideas that disguise the workings of the rulers, in this case empowered progressives.—
WSJ,
WSJ,
14 Feb. 2023
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However, today most young people rarely call each other.—
Andrea Wigfield,
CNN,
14 Feb. 2023
Verb
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But is the past foolproof in foretelling the future?—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
17 May 2025
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Ultimately, lawyers can’t foretell what will happen at the airport, Oza said.—
Makiya Seminera,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2025
Verb
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With the third season of The White Lotus well underway—and its signature sense of foreboding steadily mounting—cast member Michelle Monaghan was in anything but ominous spirits last night at The Mark Hotel.—
Laura Neilson,
Vogue,
19 Mar. 2025
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Too on-the-nose to be foreboding, such clips offer a window into Linda’s mindset, as do antagonistic sessions with her therapist (and co-worker), amusingly played by Conan O’Brien with a look of constant gastric discomfort on his face that suggests her concerns may be giving him ulcers.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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So far, the Trump administration’s moves with China augur well.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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The jump could augur a potential wave of bankruptcy filings as consumers start to buckle under a record level of debt and as tariffs fuel inflation, the company warned in a report this week.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portend. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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