portend
Americanverb (used with object)
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portends,
present (3rd person singular)
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portended,
past participle, past
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portending
present participle
verb
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to give warning of; predict or foreshadow
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obsolete to indicate or signify; mean
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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portendsimple
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portendssimple
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have portendedperfect
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has portendedperfect
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am portendingprogressive
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are portendingprogressive
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is portendingprogressive
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have been portendingperfect progressive
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has been portendingperfect progressive
Past
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portendedsimple
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had portendedperfect
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was portendingprogressive
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were portendingprogressive
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had been portendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of portend
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin portendere “to point out, indicate, portend,” variant of prōtendere “to extend”; see pro- 1, tend 1
Explanation
Portend means to show a sign that something calamitous is about to happen. The teetering, tottering, pile of fine china piled up after the dinner party portends an imminent crash of broken plates and dishes. Portend is a verb warning of omens, or bad signs. Dark clouds rumbling in over a county fair in Kansas portend the thunderstorm and even tornado that is likely to ruin the festivities. Portend is a helpful way for authors to foreshadow dark events ahead in their stories.
Vocabulary lists containing portend
Grade 11, List 2
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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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Chains
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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.
See Examples For:
That doesn’t portend an imminent crash, but it does raise the question how long a rally supported by just a handful of stocks can really last.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Signs pointed to another U.S. military buildup in the region this week that could portend a fresh round of fighting.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026
It’s spring primary season, though the GOP’s April showers portend May and June squalls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
So what does this portend for the future of American politics?
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
The finest astronomers and astrologers—Thomas Digges in England, Francesco Maurolico in Italy, Tadeàš Hàjek in Prague—racked their brains in an attempt to work out what this might portend and hastened to publish their conflicting conclusions.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"The yields are troubling people because it portends a tighter environment and it's going to be more expensive to borrow money," said Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
In the northern U.S., it portends unusually dry and warm weather, while the Gulf and Southeast states experience abnormally wet weather.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s unclear what the spike in activity portends for the rest of the fire season.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Meanwhile Philippa, knowing that “visionaries are ungovernable,” fears that Barton’s presence in her nunnery portends catastrophe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
But the new moon seen over the right shoulder, or straight in front, portends fortune as smiling as her own bright rays.
From Health, Happiness, and Longevity Health without medicine: happiness without money: the result, longevity by Louis Philippe McCarty
The public debut of SpaceX—officially Space Exploration Technologies — portended different things to different investors but was significant for all.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The staginess that sinks many of his other pictures portended a digital age where all images would trend toward idealized, Photoshopped perfection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
When either, or both, of these signals have triggered five times or more combined within the span of five trading sessions, it has often portended trouble ahead, the SentimenTrader report said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
As his maiden voyage with the group, "The Yes Album" portended things to come.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2023
Becky brought back tales of sea monsters chasing the British fleet and a two-headed calf born outside Philadelphia that portended all manner of disaster.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Before they knew it, the sky turned dark, portending a storm.
From BBC ● May 29, 2025
Wholesale food inflation has started to decline, portending possible relief for consumers in coming months.
From Reuters ● Nov. 16, 2023
The Colts will be slight favorites Sunday, perhaps portending another close finish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
Cougars are our canaries in the coal mine, portending consequences of lost connectivity for all Southwest Washington.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2023
It was an evil omen, portending the worst fatigue.
From The Tale of a Trooper by Clutha N. (Clutha Nantes) Mackenzie
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.
