Portend

/pɔːˈtɛnd/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To serve as a warning or omen of..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To serve as a warning or omen of.
2. (transitive) To signify; to denote.

Example Sentences

A kingdom they portend thee, but what kingdom, / Real or allegoric, I discern not; Nor when: eternal sure--as without end,

Let it be known that the Rapture portends the End of Days.

How alive these poems are with the visual specifics of what he so closely observes, how full of elegance, terror and hope. They portend a poet of major craft, of deep feeling, and of fine intelligence.

When the staccato, Neptunes-ian single “Boyfriend” was released in March, musical prognosticators were quick to peg the album it portended, Believe, as Justin Bieber’s Justified, a grown-and-sexy, R&B-centric departure that evolved millennial teenybopper Justin Timberlake into one of the unifying pop-music figures of the aughts.

Margo vomits at her waitressing job without realizing what it portends.

Synonyms for portend

Antonyms for portend

Related Words

Word Forms

• portends
• portending
• portended

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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