- past tense form of bide.
bode
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to be an omen of; portend.
The news bodes evil days for him.
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Archaic. to announce beforehand; predict.
verb (used without object)
verb
verb
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to be an omen of (good or ill, esp of ill); portend; presage
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archaic (tr) to predict; foretell
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bode
before 1000; Middle English boden, Old English bodian to announce, foretell (cognate with Old Norse botha ), derivative of boda messenger, cognate with German Bote, Old Norse bothi
Explanation
The verb bode suggests forecasting. Something bodes well when the clues or signs imply a favorable outcome. But if something bodes ill, you’d better watch out! Something might bode good fortune, or it could bode disaster. The word, which can be traced back to the Old English bodian, "to announce, foretell," is also found in the adjective foreboding, which means "ominous, boding ill."
Vocabulary lists containing bode
Romeo and Juliet
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Othello
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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.
Even if Raducanu is fit enough to play Ruzic, her disrupted preparation does not bode well for the rigours of a Grand Slam tournament.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
That just doesn’t bode well for the future — it’s paying off in the present too.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
This should bode well for the Thai hospital operator as revenue from Middle East patients grew 21% on year in 1Q, compared with a 1% gain in overall revenue, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Campaign strategists love to tout a military record, a blue-collar résumé, small-business ownership, and a life of family and faith, in part because they suggest qualities that bode well for a political leader.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
“Doesn’t bode well for how useful that book is going to be. Anything else?”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
