portend
verb
por·tend
| \ pȯr-ˈtend
\
\
portended;
portending;
portends
Definition of portend
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Examples of portend in a Sentence
The distant thunder portended a storm.
If you're superstitious, a black cat portends trouble.
Recent Examples on the Web
But their decline could portend a downward trend shared by more significant insects for which research is lacking, said study author Tyson Wepprich, a postdoctoral research assistant at Oregon State University. — Scottie Andrew And Katherine Dillinger, CNN, "Ohio's butterfly population has fallen by a third, and researchers say the findings spell trouble for bees," 10 July 2019 These findings don’t necessarily portend Ciomadul’s imminent eruption. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Magma Lurks Below This ‘Extinct’ Volcano in Romania," 19 July 2019 The Encarnacion deal could portend further moves ahead, and Frazier remains a potential trade piece if New York pursues starting pitching on the trade market. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "New Kid in H-Town: Pitchers Should Fear the Astros' Latest Rookie Thumper," 18 June 2019 Each portended a record low at the end of the summer. — The Economist, "The Greenland ice sheet is melting unusually fast," 17 June 2019 That portends danger — in the Maine hospital case and beyond. — Frank D. Lomonte For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Whistleblowers' rights could be at risk under Trump's new labor board," 12 June 2019 The burning of the Waterford home portends big change, undeniably. — David Canfield, EW.com, "The Handmaid's Tale stars break down Serena's shocking decision," 5 June 2019 Slowing demand for China’s exports in most markets also fed into a slowdown in the country’s imports and, some economists said, portends a broader weakening in growth in China and other parts of the world. — WSJ, "China’s Exports Slowed in November, but Surplus With U.S. Grew," 8 Dec. 2018 The whipping winds portend poor weather on Sunday, so tournament officials moved up the start of the final round to 7:15 a.m. Flesch, Stricker and Andrade will head off the first tee box at approximately 9:15 a.m. — James Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Steve Stricker one shot back from leader Steve Flesch at AmFam Championship," 22 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'portend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for portend
portend
verb
English Language Learners Definition of portend
formal + literary
: to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
See the full definition for portend in the English Language Learners Dictionary
portend
verb
por·tend
| \ pȯr-ˈtend
\
\
portended;
portending
Kids Definition of portend
: to give a sign or warning of beforehand
Distant thunder portended a storm.
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