impending

1 of 2

adjective

im·​pend·​ing im-ˈpen-diŋ How to pronounce impending (audio)
Synonyms of impending
: occurring or likely to occur soon : upcoming
impending trials
impending motherhood
… scientists who rely on the satellite signals for hints of impending earthquakes and volcanic eruptions …—R. Monastersky
… heed the warnings of impending disaster.—Publishers Weekly
… many of us secretly enjoy the sassier commercials and elegant layouts, not to mention being told of impending sales.—Andrew Hacker

impending

2 of 2

present participle of impend

Synonyms of impending

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of impending in a Sentence

Adjective an impending celebration of the 100th anniversary of the college's founding an aura of impending doom hung over the city
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
The red, as startling as a cymbal clap, strikes the eye, but the impending drama remains out of sight. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 The clanking of cranes slated to descend over the Longwood site also brings the impending divorce of Dana-Farber and its longtime partner, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one step closer. — Marin Wolf — Boston Globe, STAT, 20 Oct. 2026 Peak fall color is still potential to be realized, a brilliance whose arrival is impending but unpredictable. — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 Other impending free agents are infielder Miguel Rojas, utility player Kiké Hernández, and relievers Kris Bubic, Brusdar Graterol, Eric Lauer, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for impending

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of impend

First Known Use

Adjective

1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of impending was in 1616

Rhymes for impending

See All Rhymes for impending

Browse Nearby Words

impendent
impending
impenetrability
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impending.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impending. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All