1
as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
a red sky in the morning can be a portent of a coming storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in miracle
something extraordinary or surprising
a scout was sent to have a look at this teenage pitcher who was supposed to be the latest portent of the baseball world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of portent
By the end of 1857, no one knew the crack-up of the Union was coming in three years, or that the nation would be in a civil war in four, but the portents were bleak.
—
Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
If that is the case, the Ring Nebula could be a portent of what awaits Earth in around 5 billion years when the sun runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion and puffs out to become a red giant.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Carol’s favorite, Bella Donna, does not carry the same dark portents.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
But with the hindsight of the 2025 campaign, it is filled with signifiers, the emergence from the TV to dazzle the local villagers a portent of a savvy politician who got elected by stepping away from the screen to meet physically with voters.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
If that is the case, the Ring Nebula could be a portent of what awaits Earth in around 5 billion years when the sun runs out of fuel for nuclear fusion and puffs out to become a red giant.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Carol’s favorite, Bella Donna, does not carry the same dark portents.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
But with the hindsight of the 2025 campaign, it is filled with signifiers, the emergence from the TV to dazzle the local villagers a portent of a savvy politician who got elected by stepping away from the screen to meet physically with voters.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portent
Noun
-
Williams had managed traditional Tex-Mex restaurants that were the forerunner of today’s Mercado Juarez Cafes.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Since his health scare, Holland seems more open to talk about the miracles recorded in the New Testament.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The Gamecocks needed something beyond a miracle to secure the programs fourth title since 2017 but came up short for the second straight year after a blowout loss to UConn in the 2025 championship game.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Heck, the decidedly un-fun Rangers were 8-2 to start last year, despite scoring just 33 runs in those first 10 games, which was definitely an omen of things to come.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
On the other hand, all these omens popping up so early in the season is an indication there are further twists to come.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, the Pentagon released hundreds of reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Each of the 8 years in this Venus-cycle (known and important to ancient civilizations such as the Mayans and Babylonians) has its own particular pattern, so 2026 repeats (within about 2 or 3 days of the same date) the phenomena of 2018.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In March, state media reported that China arrested seven people in an operation targeting traffickers of fentanyl precursors, according to the Reuters news agency.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The mission is a precursor to future Artemis launches that will rehearse rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the program's lunar landers, and eventually land astronauts on the lunar surface.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Except someone did eventually hear it—the good folks at Freedom to Spend, known for reissuing all kinds of wonders from the experimental past, who took it upon themselves to sort through all 1200 tapes submitted to the ND zine over the course of its run before landing upon Larrison’s.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Poor Landscaping Good landscaping can truly work wonders, while overgrown plants will immediately give off a chaotic look and detract from the architectural features on the exterior of your home, according to Farnan.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The opening week of an MLB season doesn’t typically provide foreshadowing for a 162-game season.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That was probably apt enough foreshadowing for what was to come.—
Piet Levy,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The marvel of the play, and of this keenly staged and performed production, is its emotional volatility, the quiver of truth behind the percolating dialogue of evasion or shaming accusation.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
These marvels of engineering elevate riders as high as 210 feet (64 meters), send them through dizzying loops and corkscrews and propel them at speeds as high as 76 mph (122 kilometers per hour).—
John Haddad,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portent. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
