1
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm
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2
as in miracle
something extraordinary or surprising
a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portent
Jellyfish scrape along the sea floor like spindly mushroom clouds of portent, stinging Sofia who masochistically (and in a way that carries over to her actual human relationships) keeps going back for another dip.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
But coming in at a brisk 89-minute runtime, the feature is awkwardly compressed in its portrait of heartache and easily overwhelmed by the political portent of its subject.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
For the Chinese government, however, Tiananmen remains a frightening portent.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for portent
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
But coming in at a brisk 89-minute runtime, the feature is awkwardly compressed in its portrait of heartache and easily overwhelmed by the political portent of its subject.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
The Dead Zone maintains key big-picture threads from the book and movie — the malevolent rising-star politician, the apocalyptic portent — while taking advantage of its format, succeeding as both a procedural and a long-term story.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
For the Chinese government, however, Tiananmen remains a frightening portent.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
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Yet this brand of Christian Zionism is clearly the forerunner to today’s – and holds sway in Washington.—
Shalom Goldman,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2025
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The title is an apt, if sort of obvious, introduction to Turner, who has been hailed as the forerunner to modern art.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
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Don’t let the Shrek coloring fool you, this easy old-school recipe is proof of the magic of instant pudding and the miracle of boxed cake mix doctored up to taste a little better and more like homemade.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Trump has had experience with the omens special elections can carry.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
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For Terrier fans who believe in omens: BU defeated Ohio State by the same 8-3 score the last time the teams met in 2009 during an NCAA regional semifinal.—
Barry Scanlon,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This is the power of art: taking a concept and exposing its contradictions, turning it into a complex phenomenon rather than a simple slogan.—
Rebecca Ruth Gould,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
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The phenomenon started in East Greenland, but in the space of an hour, the strange hums had spread via the Earth’s crust and reached all the way to the other end of the world in Antarctica.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In addition, neighborhoods would no longer be required — as a precursor to meters — to test out two-hour and three-hour parking zones enforced by chalking tires instead of meters.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
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Directed by Arthur Penn, who brought a bold visual style, frank sexuality and graphic, balletic violence to a Hollywood dominated by optimistic pictures, this countercultural romance served as a precursor to the generational tension and mistrust in authority that was quietly pervading the country.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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New Cabinet Hardware Even swapping your cabinet hardware can work wonders for your kitchen's overall aesthetic, as the antiquated hardware could be dating your otherwise beautiful kitchen.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Apr. 2025
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So with a strong UV index in tow, the Molecular Hero Serum and a proper sunscreen (Hickey used Elta MD on the cast) can work wonders.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Dreamgirls star provided some foreshadowing of the big day in a November 2006 interview with Cosmopolitan.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Could this be a foreshadowing of how the Opening Day lineup might look?—
Katie Woo,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The fight might not have been a technical marvel, but the two gave the crowd their money’s worth.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Initially intended as a technological marvel to rival Concorde, the Anglo-French supersonic aircraft, development of Boeing 2707 faced insurmountable technical and economic challenges and was ultimately aborted: a failure of industrial policy to balance ambition with feasibility.—
Made by History,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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