presage
Americannoun
-
a presentiment or foreboding.
- Synonyms:
- premonition, indication
-
something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication.
-
prophetic significance; augury.
-
foresight; prescience.
-
Archaic. a forecast or prediction.
verb (used with object)
-
to have a presentiment of.
-
to portend, foreshow, or foreshadow.
The incidents may presage war.
-
to forecast; predict.
verb (used without object)
-
to make a prediction.
-
Archaic. to have a presentiment.
noun
-
an intimation or warning of something about to happen; portent; omen
-
a sense of what is about to happen; foreboding
-
archaic a forecast or prediction
verb
-
(tr) to have a presentiment of
-
(tr) to give a forewarning of; portend
-
(intr) to make a prediction
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
presagesimple
-
presagessimple
-
have presagedperfect
-
has presagedperfect
-
am presagingprogressive
-
are presagingprogressive
-
is presagingprogressive
-
have been presagingperfect progressive
-
has been presagingperfect progressive
Past
-
presagedsimple
-
had presagedperfect
-
was presagingprogressive
-
were presagingprogressive
-
had been presagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of presage
1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Middle French presage < Latin praesāgium presentiment, forewarning, equivalent to praesāg ( us ) having a foreboding ( prae- pre- + sāgus prophetic; cf. sagacious) + -ium -ium
Explanation
A presage is a sign that something bad is about to happen, like when you get that queasy feeling in your stomach because your mom found out you skipped band practice to go to the movies. Presage, pronounced "PREH-sige," can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, presage is a warning or omen of bad things to come, like a strange quiet and stillness in the air, presage to the coming tornado. As a verb, presage means "to make a prediction or give a warning of what's to come." A terrible end-of-season football game might presage the struggles that the team will face next season.
Vocabulary lists containing presage
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Romeo and Juliet
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act V
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
While the $6 million in damages is small potatoes for two of the world’s largest corporations, the March verdict could presage much costlier lawsuits.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Conversely, a lagging transportation average might presage a decline in the overall market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
If Rosenberg is right and “odds of some policy action or communication to stabilize the yen are rising,” then this could presage a major trading reversal.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 19, 2025
The bust would presage the dissolution of Wings; McCartney would release a solo album, “McCartney II,” in May.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
Lands he could measure, terms and tides presage, And even the story ran that he could gauge.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Sometimes, the departure of an underperforming executive or official presages improvements ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
The top honor at the newly rebranded Actor Awards recognizes the ensemble cast of a film -- a decision that sometimes, but not always, presages Oscars best picture glory.
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
The rapidly growing rail system is a symbol of India’s modernization, and Charu’s bookish father, a workshop manager, believes in the progress it presages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
But he takes umbrage at the notion that 2023 presages a “new normal.”
From National Geographic ● Sep. 8, 2023
O, let my books be then the eloquence and dumb presages of my speaking breast!’”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
It also accurately presaged a big post-IPO runup in shares of Cerebras once they finally went public in the U.S, according to Coltman.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
And again, EPS beats heralded outperformance of 3% in the first year of a new activist-led CEO regime, while EPS misses presaged a lag of 10%.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
The announcement was presaged by recent headlines that Andrew wasn’t invited to join the royal family’s Christmas celebrations at their Sandringham estate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
By the end of the ’60s, Butler had struck up a fruitful partnership with Gamble and Huff that presaged the success that duo would find in the ’70s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
Each visit was presaged by trips to the seamstress to fit a new dress or disguise an old one, and each time they returned there was fresh news about the royal court.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
Trevor Milton, founder of the electric truck manufacturer Nikola, was convicted of misleading investors in 2022, presaging Nikola’s bankruptcy last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
The apocalyptic imagination, he argued, imposes on history “neat, naïve patterns” presaging a turning point in the grand scheme of humanity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
Scores were exposed to the virus, presaging potential catastrophe in Africa’s most populous nation.
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2025
The producers organization is considered the group with the best track record of presaging the Oscars.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
Now the precise outlines of her skull show through the skin of her face, presaging death.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
