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
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.
So what does this portend for the future of American politics?
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
Does this Super Bowl’s record-breaking A.I. ad splurge also portend a coming pop?
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
His insistence that no one is safe until everyone is safe, can seem to portend a future in which no one will ever be safe, though as a teacher I assume he’s more sanguine.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
Between 2002 and 2007 the dollar suffered a similar drop, but it didn’t portend the end of its hegemonic status.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026
The Greeks had an old saying, too: “Red beard and blue eyes portend the Devil.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
