- present participle of impend.
impending
Americanadjective
-
about to happen; imminent.
their impending marriage.
-
imminently threatening or menacing.
an impending storm.
-
Archaic. overhanging.
adjective
Synonym Usage
See imminent.
Etymology
Origin of impending
Explanation
If something is impending, it is about to happen. If you hear thunder in the distance, you might go inside to escape the impending storm. The word impending often refers to something threatening or frightening: impending doom, impending disaster. Something that is impending hangs over you — you might say, "I was so distracted by thoughts of my impending failure in my exams, I couldn't study." A synonym is imminent.
Vocabulary lists containing impending
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 4
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Things Fall Apart
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 61-year-old, a previous president of the UN General Assembly, has suggested creating an "early warning" system to detect and flag signs of impending conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Meza said when she learned of the impending closure, she and her parents called around to neighboring mobile home parks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
For many years, if you needed to take a flight due to a family member’s death or impending death, airlines would offer a discounted bereavement, or compassionate, ticket.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Tonali's impending exit was crucial, though, to enable Newcastle to create further headroom within the game's financial rules to reinvest in several areas of the side.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Privately, however, the impending visit of this nobleman, upon which hung so many of the house’s fortunes, depressed 03-01’s spirits as much as it agitated his nerves.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
