- 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.
For some of their impending free agents, who spoke highly of the organization, that meant uncertainty in the immediate aftermath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
While shop owners sandbagged the entrances to their stores and boarded up the doors and windows, there was little sense of impending disaster.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Judge doesn’t have too many more chances, even if he is able to return to his previous form when the impending lockout ends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
One story for Wakefield to thrive upon is the impending retirement of stalwart back-rower Jay Pitts.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
After a while the baboon sighed deeply and relaxed again into the posture of impending death.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
