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
Synonym Usage
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.
Impending federal cuts to healthcare and food assistance, as well as reductions in California’s state budget, will further drive up living costs, making it harder for people to support their basic needs, the report said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
Impending fatherhood enables Joe to style a new dream and a better identity for himself – the heroic, protective father to an innocent little girl.
From Salon • Oct. 15, 2021
Impending free agents may also be waiting to see if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement gets approved and now that might impact things before getting too far along in contract talks.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2020
Especially after antislavery slavery politicians endorsed The Impending Crisis, Helper could no longer live in the South, and critics cited his treatment to prove that slave society could not tolerate freedom of speech.
From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018
The day, the night Dragged slowly by; nor did they know the fate Impending o'er the city.
From McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader by McGuffey, William Holmes
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.
