betoken
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give evidence of; indicate.
to betoken one's fidelity with a vow; a kiss that betokens one's affection.
-
to be or give a token or sign of; portend.
a thunderclap that betokens foul weather; an angry word that betokens hostility.
verb
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to indicate; signify
black clothes betoken mourning
-
to portend; augur
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
betokensimple
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betokenssimple
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have betokenedperfect
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has betokenedperfect
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am betokeningprogressive
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are betokeningprogressive
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is betokeningprogressive
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have been betokeningperfect progressive
-
has been betokeningperfect progressive
Past
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betokenedsimple
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had betokenedperfect
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was betokeningprogressive
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were betokeningprogressive
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had been betokeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of betoken
First recorded in 1125–75, betoken is from the Middle English word bitocnen, bitacnen. See be-, token
Explanation
A dark sky full of clouds might betoken a thunderstorm. In other words, the clouds indicate or point to the fact that a thunderstorm is on its way. You're most likely to come across the word betoken in an English class or a book, since it's primarily a literary word used to express the idea of signifying or symbolizing something. There's often a sense of mystery around the word; for example, a black cat might betoken bad luck, or be an omen of something slightly scary. However, there are plenty of cheerful examples, like when a ring betokens love.
Vocabulary lists containing betoken
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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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.
See Examples For:
And though releasing a series in the last week of the year doesn’t exactly betoken confidence, I can predict with some confidence that there might be one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2025
But it doesn’t betoken a path to profitability, in part because the improvement reflected an intensified squeeze on drivers.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2019
Cityscapes materialize on backdrops in ways that betoken both the dreamlike landscapes of Monet as well as the Tinseltown innovation of film colorization.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2017
"They don't start anything, and probably didn't determine much — but betoken a widespread disgust in the air."
From US News ● Sep. 30, 2016
I will not permit you to say anything against him; your words betoken horrid jealousy.'
From Count Br?hl by Kraszewski, Jo?zef Ignacy
Red Friday betokens an upcoming home game for the Kansas City Chiefs.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023
Success, and the big paydays it betokens, paradoxically breeds conservatism; failure, which good art courts, is not an option.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2015
“That man betokens such a level of ignorance and a direct falsification of the existing scientific data,” Brown told host Chuck Todd.
From US News ● Mar. 23, 2015
Not just denies: “That man betokens such a level of ignorance and a direct falsification of scientific data,” Brown said Sunday during an appearance on Meet the Press.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2015
Researchers have often wondered whether the Inka collapse betokens a major historical lesson.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The statistics betokened a return to artistic health for the 41 theaters of Broadway, forced to shut down for 15 months starting in March 2020 because of the pandemic.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 12, 2022
And yet, even that everydayness betokened a complex reality.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 2, 2020
“But even that’s a cliché, you know. And then you’ve got ‘the sun peeped through the foliage’ and ‘the ominous black clouds that betokened thunder’—betokened, right?
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 10, 2016
I think Obama really betokened a new day in America.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2016
The welcome order was given to the survivors of the Calder's crew with a promptitude that betokened official regard and appreciation of the plucky destroyer's ship's company.
From With Beatty off Jutland A Romance of the Great Sea Fight by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
Set designer Donald Eastman places the action in an airy courtyard of broken concrete slabs — the cracks in the cement betokening the fissures that will symbolically swallow up Floyd.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2021
Steven Soderbergh is an executive producer, betokening prestige and meaning that his name is linked with the title in every press report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2017
These days, you might well think, to have your house blurred from Google Street View is the new status symbol, a must-have digital absence betokening your big-ass presence in the world of celebrity.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 14, 2014
Ever the politician, he accepted an accolade as "1966 Father of the Year,"* posed for pictures as Actress Eva Gabor pinned a ribbon betokening the award on his lapel.
From Time Magazine Archive
"What do ye mean, ye graceless?" added she, in a voice betokening a sort of horror.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Vol. XX by Leighton, Alexander
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.
