portend

American  

[pawr-tend, pohr-] / pɔrˈtɛnd, poʊr- /

verb (used with object)

1. to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does.

   The street incident may portend a general uprising.

   Synonyms:

   forebode, betoken, augur, forecast, foretell

2. to signify; mean.

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portend British  

/ pɔːˈtɛnd /

verb

1. to give warning of; predict or foreshadow

2. obsolete to indicate or signify; mean

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Other Word Forms

• unportended adjective

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”; pro- ¹, tend ¹

Example Sentences

While a four-year degree now often demonstrates merely acceptable attendance, a certification demonstrates skills, acumen and judgment that portend value in the workplace.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

If the idea was to de-ice Melania for viewers and, in turn, make them forget about the allegations against Ratner, this one-two punch in the film’s first 10 minutes only portends glorious failure.

From Salon

Many small-cap investors also make a valuation-based argument for why they believe that small-cap relative strength so far this year portends something more sustainable.

From MarketWatch

Some analysts are hopeful that the trend portends long-term structural changes to the memory market, which has long been cyclical.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• augur
• bespeak
• foretell
• predict
• presage