imminent

adjective

ˈi-mə-nənt How to pronounce imminent (audio)
Definition of imminentnext
1
as in impending
giving signs of immediate occurrence a storm is imminent, so you should seek shelter now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in upcoming
being soon to appear or take place an imminent development that should radically transform how we treat the disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 imminent After opening for Foo Fighters in stadiums throughout the summer, Queens of the Stone Age will be back at the top of the bill on a 2027 world tour in support of its imminent new Matador album, Perfecth. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 22 Oct. 2026 But the imminent media story for the NFL is Disney’s Super Bowl LXI next year. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 And the unique dynamics of the American economy means the United States faces no imminent danger of becoming the next France. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 His aim is to use Benedict — who resigned as pope in 2013 and died in seclusion in the Vatican in 2022 — as the one Catholic leader who understood the imminent threat of the Antichrist and the end times, the one Catholic who got it right. — David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for imminent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imminent
  1. impending
  2. upcoming
  3. approaching
  4. coming
Adjective
  • The departures come just over a month after the museum announced the impending exit of chief executive and director Eugene Tan.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Just in time for the impending arrival of winter, New Balance has quietly upgraded the Abzorb 2010 with Gore-Tex membranes in a pack of three distinctly different colorways.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of impending
Adjective
  • The pope’s diagnosis and surgery left his upcoming trip to South America up in the air.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
  • There are also deals on women's pajama gift sets in cute holiday prints, like red plaid or holiday dogs, as well as kids' ski apparel for an upcoming winter vacation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of upcoming
Adjective
  • But Chang, who was then working for a solar-energy startup, found the proceedings unexpectedly disinterested in political strategy, even as the 2024 Presidential election was fast approaching.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania for the 2026 midterm election is fast approaching.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of approaching
Adjective
  • Anthropic reportedly plans to spend $750 billion on adding compute capacity in the coming years, including hundreds of billions in non-cancelable deals, as AI labs race to finance a huge infrastructure buildout.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But the new title serves political purposes and could mean quite a lot to visitors, supporters and surrounding communities alike in the coming years.
    — Seth T. Kannarr, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of coming

Browse Nearby Words

imminences
imminent
imminently
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Cite this Entry

“Imminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imminent. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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