as in predicts
formal + literary
to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
The distant thunder portended a storm. If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
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Recent Examples of portends
Google believes Gemini's ability to perform well in these kinds of advanced academic competitions portends AI's future in industries like semiconductor engineering and biotechnology.
—
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Beasley has an offensive skillset that portends well on most teams.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Mpox researchers and doctors say the lackluster global response portends poorly for mpox's future potential as well as other disease threats.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
And the future portends even more dealmaking.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
If the July unemployment report portends what’s to come, the picture is bound to get gloomier.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Beasley has an offensive skillset that portends well on most teams.
—Mat Issa, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Mpox researchers and doctors say the lackluster global response portends poorly for mpox's future potential as well as other disease threats.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
And the future portends even more dealmaking.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
If the July unemployment report portends what’s to come, the picture is bound to get gloomier.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portends
Verb
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Vanguard predicts small-cap stocks will rise 5% to 7% annually over the next 10 years.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
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Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives predicts iPhone preorders will increase five to 10% compared to last year since the firm estimates 20% of global iPhone owners haven’t upgraded in the past four years.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander’s iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean (Hamish Linklater) preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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The platform promises to address complaints faster and make the process more transparent.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That bodes particularly well for CrowdStrike, according to analysts at Wells Fargo.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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His success on his only carry, a 19-yard touchdown run, also bodes well for his future involvement in Washington.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The question facing Federal Reserve policymakers, who will meet next week, is whether the employment numbers presages a broader slump.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But her initial comments, made Monday in light of the Charlie Kirk assassination, set off a bipartisan backlash and calls for her resignation.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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Budd’s plan calls for giving judges and magistrates more freedom to initiate their own mental health commitment proceedings.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For most, such latitude foretells a long stretch to go.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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No scripture foretells GPUs, gradient descent, or multimodal transformers.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portends. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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