adjective
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liable to happen soon; impending
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obsolete jutting out or overhanging
Synonym Usage
Imminent, Impending, Threatening all may carry the implication of menace, misfortune, disaster, but they do so in differing degrees. Imminent may portend evil: an imminent catastrophe, but also may mean simply “about to happen”: The merger is imminent. Impending has a weaker sense of immediacy and threat than imminent : Real tax relief legislation is impending, but it too may be used in situations portending disaster: impending social upheaval; to dread the impending investigation. Threatening almost always suggests ominous warning and menace: a threatening sky just before the tornado struck.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of imminent
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin imminent- (stem of imminēns ), present participle of imminēre “to overhang,” equivalent to im- im- 1 + -min- from a base meaning “jut out, project, rise” ( cf. eminent, mount 2) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Something that is imminent is just about to happen: if you light a firecracker and then stick it down your pants, a very bad situation is imminent. Imminent is from Latin imminere, "to overhang," and to say that something is imminent is to say that it is hanging over you and about to fall, in a metaphorical way. If you take your mom’s car and drive it into the mailbox, getting grounded is imminent. You don’t want that hanging over your head!
Vocabulary lists containing imminent
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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Othello
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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 S&P 500 index is showing signs of coming out of its recent slumber, and most of the signals coming out of the options market are saying a big rally may be imminent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Robles told parliament that agents of the CNI intelligence service had shared information about a possible imminent migrant crossing with security forces shortly before it happened, but Grande-Marlaska appeared to contradict her.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The Post Ranch Inn is set to reopen on Wednesday and was “under no imminent threat,” the hotel said on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
His blustering threats, alternating with claims of imminent peace and victory, are doubted by friends and foe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The first time I saw Morrie on “Nightline,” I wondered what regrets he had once he knew his death was imminent.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
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.
