impending
Americanadjective
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about to happen; imminent.
their impending marriage.
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imminently threatening or menacing.
an impending storm.
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Archaic. overhanging.
adjective
Related Words
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 impending relegation would only place more pressure on the club's finances.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Panko has a client with an impending RMD that will be $280,000, and they will have to pay tax on that as income.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Sims, establishing the “one person, one vote” rule for state legislative districts, that because of “equitable considerations,” it would not be applying the new rule to the impending elections.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
Discovery’s impending sale has rattled Hollywood — and the company’s balance sheet as the auction’s high costs increasingly come into focus.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Luke felt the impending good-bye in his gut.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
