forebode

[fawr-bohd, fohr-]

verb (used with object)

foreboded, foreboding 

1. to foretell or predict; be an omen of; indicate beforehand; portend.

   clouds that forebode a storm.

   Synonyms: augur, forecast, presage, foreshadow

2. to have a strong inner feeling or notion of (a future misfortune, evil, catastrophe, etc.); have a presentiment of.

verb (used without object)

foreboded, foreboding 

1. to prophesy.

2. to have a presentiment.

forebode

/ fɔːˈbəʊd /

verb

1. to warn of or indicate (an event, result, etc) in advance

2. to have an intuition or premonition of (an event)

Other Word Forms

• foreboder noun
• unforeboded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forebode¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; fore- + bode ¹

Example Sentences

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that La Niña conditions had arrived, a possibly foreboding sign for the Southland.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“After The Hunt” begins with grim foreboding: the caption “It happened at Yale.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Below the cliff where Arisu and this gentleman converse lies a vast body of churning water with a foreboding whirlpool at its heart.

Read more on Salon

There was a sense of foreboding about his comments after Wednesday evening's debacle.

Read more on BBC

For now, Bengali-Muslims are living with a deep sense of foreboding.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• presage