portends

verb

present tense third-person singular of portend
as in predicts
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of portends Danica Rodmarel, an attorney who has litigated against bail bond corporations in the past, said the decision portends a difficult future for the industry. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The change marks the end of an era in fashion and portends the beginning of another one for Marc Jacobs, the man. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026 And then there’s the Ren Faire episode, where a McPoyle brothers’ cameo portends a closing joke so distressing my innocent little brain rejected all the warnings of its arrival. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026 Bozieva believes this approach to business portends the rise of the billion-dollar, one-person business. — Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Iran is not the only Middle Eastern country excluded from the emerging security arrangement that Mecca portends. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Chairman Kevin Warsh has talked tough on inflation and his creation of task forces to study how the Fed operates seems a measured approach, but portends inaction. — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 24 July 2026 This seemingly portends a trade somewhere down the line, but for now, the Thunder capitalized on a talent tier drop-off ahead of the next group of players. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 24 June 2026 This is a delicate and dicey subject to even bring up, since the industry right now is in the grip of multiple perceptions and anxieties about what AI portends for the future of entertainment. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends
  1. predicts
  2. promises
  3. bodes
  4. presages
  5. calls
  6. foretells
  7. augurs
  8. reads
Verb
  • The former chief futurist at OpenAI predicts that there will inevitably be rogue AI agents operating independently of human control.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2026
  • And while storms will cool things off to the low 80s by the end of the week, The Weather Channel predicts that the month's temperatures will be above average for the season.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of predicts
Verb
  • Bonnell claims more than 80 mph at the top end, while the enormous rear-wheel torque figure promises the sort of low-speed shove that makes technical riding interesting.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Netflix series promises to adapt the entire novel in a more complete form.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of promises
Verb
  • That bodes extremely well for plane spotting out in broad daylight this summer.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 27 June 2026
  • The Obama Presidential Center opening June 18 also bodes well for tourism, both in burnishing the city’s image and creating a new attraction to draw domestic and international visitors to Chicago, Reynolds said.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of bodes
Verb
  • The backlash to the Barbara decision presages another legal and cultural battle over the meaning of the 14th Amendment and its role in the debate over who is recognized as an American citizen, observers say.
    — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026
  • But a lack of accountability presages failure for California’s big reform.
    — Rachel Canter, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of presages
Verb
  • Brief yet compelling, these messages retain a sense of urgency that calls to us over the chasm of space/time.
    — Jim Greer, SPIN, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Tucker calls from her home, a blurred background behind her, wearing a white blouse and lipstick.
    — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of calls
Verb
  • At Saul's request, the witch summons what appears to be the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel, who foretells Saul's death in battle — raising the question of theodicy, or why an all-powerful God would allow an apparently diabolical act to occur.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Annabeth has grown to care for Percy, but like Thalia, his fate is possibly tied to a prophecy that foretells of him destroying or saving Olympus.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of foretells
Verb
  • Pintscher, who will succeed current music director Jaime Martín beginning in 2027-28 season, augurs a new era for LACO.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In the film’s ferocious climax, Jim is shot but escapes with Selena and Hannah, and the story closes (28 days later) back in the countryside as a jet flies over and augurs their rescue.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 24 June 2026
Definition of augurs
Verb
  • In 1996, when the first three novels were reprinted again, Kennedy appended a prelude that reads like an account of the cycle’s evolution—except that the author of these books is identified as Billy Phelan’s nephew Daniel Quinn.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Within seconds of a leader walking into a room, a team reads and reflects the kind of energy that person is projecting.
    — Tony Loyd, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of reads

Browse Nearby Words

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portends
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Cite this Entry

“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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