Meaning & use
portend
To be a sign or warning that something, especially something significant or bad, is likely to happen.
See it in a sentence
The sudden drop in sales seemed to portend a difficult quarter ahead.
Dark clouds gathering over the harbor portended a rough night for the fishing boats.
A note on using this word
Portend is formal and literary, most often used with ominous or troubling events rather than neutral or positive ones.
Words with a similar meaning
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