forebode

[fawr-bohd, fohr-]

verb (used with object)

foreboded, foreboding 

1. to foretell or predict; be an omen of; indicate beforehand; portend.

   clouds that forebode a storm.

   Synonyms: augur, forecast, presage, foreshadow

2. to have a strong inner feeling or notion of (a future misfortune, evil, catastrophe, etc.); have a presentiment of.

verb (used without object)

foreboded, foreboding 

1. to prophesy.

2. to have a presentiment.

forebode

/ fɔːˈbəʊd /

verb

1. to warn of or indicate (an event, result, etc) in advance

2. to have an intuition or premonition of (an event)

Other Word Forms

• foreboder noun
• unforeboded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forebode¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; fore- + bode ¹

Example Sentences

From the celebration of the deceased known as Día de los Muertos, to the foreboding thrills and life lessons underpinning Latin America’s fiendish folklore, spooky things are as revered as they are feared.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It never got much better for the Bruins on a chilly, cloudy Saturday afternoon that was darker than the foreboding weather.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr Bailey said he did not want "to sound too foreboding at this point", but that "there is a lot we don't know about First Brands and Tricolour".

Read more on BBC

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that La Niña conditions had arrived, a possibly foreboding sign for the Southland.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“After The Hunt” begins with grim foreboding: the caption “It happened at Yale.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• presage