PORTEND Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

portend

verb

Definition of portend

as in to predict

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

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Recent Examples of portend Sneezes could portend good or bad luck for the ancient Greeks. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 The Paris presentation portends bigger plans — including a 1,500-square-foot space at legacy department store Printemps, set to open at the end of this month. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026 The AfD expanded on strong recent results, which analysts believe could portend far-right victories in upcoming European elections. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 20 Sep. 2026 The emergence of Tolle behind them, though, is what portends best for Boston moving forward. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for portend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portend

Verb

Sabbagh predicts this could transform the space industry from having less than 10 million users of mobile satellite services to being able to reach billions of users.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Some predicted the ad was likely to draw more empathy and interest in Acton from voters, and turn them away from Ramaswamy.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of predict

Verb

The government also promised 15,000 additional places in higher education, introduced across the next two years, and increases in student grants linked to inflation from the start of the next academic year.

— Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Lula has promised expensive measures that appeal to his grassroots base.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of promise

Verb

This does not bode particularly well for Feyenoord, who finished a hefty 19 points behind 2025-26 Eredivisie champions PSV.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
This did not bode well with the Love Island USA fanbase and Miller and Pessoa took to social media to defend their stance.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 June 2026

Definition of bode

Verb

Ever the showman, Musk also seemed to presage the merger last week with the unveiling of Tesla’s new superfast Roadster, which has yet to be released but was specially outfitted with SpaceX booster rockets to perform flips in midair on a livestream.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Inclusion on the list could also presage a Section 301 investigation that could lead to legal consequences or restrictive import controls on the devices.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of presage

Verb

Lowen must move into the Crawford family’s foreboding Vermont lake house to flirt with her husband sift through Verity’s notes and embody her voice.

— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 Oct. 2026
Lowen heads up to the Crawford home in Vermont, which is a stunning, if not foreboding, contemporary house by Danish sculptor and designer Jens Quistgaard that’s pretty much hidden in woods.

— Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of forebode

Verb

Although the post-pandemic decline of China was one of the main causes of Lauder’s slowdown in growth in 2023, today the broad demographic scope augurs continued growth.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
The Houthis also made important gains inland, all but besieging the strategic city of Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, in a move that augured more Houthi advances.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026