portend
verb (used with object)
to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does.
have portended
-
present perfectof portend.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
They have generated revenues to the filmmakers and to us that’s way beyond what the box office would have portended when it opened.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Nothing in Shiffrin’s professional career would have portended such quick, complete, recurring failure on her sport’s biggest stage.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
That might even have portended a future presidential run.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2021
On the other hand, empty airports lately have portended something very different: the wholesale shuddering of this vast, elaborate enterprise called flight.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2020
“I heard no squeak,” observed Dr. Johnson; “and, furthermore, I fail to see how a squeak, if I had heard it, would have portended a discovery of importance.”
From The Pursuit of the House-Boat Being Some Further Account of the Divers Doings of the Associated Shades, under the Leadership of Sherlock Holmes, Esq. by John Kendrick Bangs
