portend

[pawr-tend, pohr-] / pɔrˈtɛnd, poʊr- /

VERB

foreshadow, indicate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

augur bespeak foretell predict presage

STRONG

adumbrate betoken bode call forebode forecast foreshow forewarn harbinger herald hint omen prognosticate promise prophesy read threaten

WEAK

be in the cards crystal-ball foretoken have a hunch point to premonish see coming warn of

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So what does this portend for the future of American politics?

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

This does not portend an all-around divestment from America.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

U.S. stocks were flirting with a critical threshold on Wednesday that, if broken, could portend another 10% drop for the S&P 500, according to one technical analyst.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Shedding talent and salary gave Boston financial flexibility—but it also seemed to portend a season of knocking around the NBA’s ocean floor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

The finest astronomers and astrologers—Thomas Digges in England, Francesco Maurolico in Italy, Tadeàš Hàjek in Prague—racked their brains in an attempt to work out what this might portend and hastened to publish their conflicting conclusions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Vocabulary lists containing portend

Grade 11, List 2

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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass

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Chains

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