Meaning & use
presaging
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“presaging” is a form of “presage”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveliterary
Giving an early sign that something, usually something unwelcome, is about to happen.
Grammar: Takes an object: clouds presaging a storm.
Patterns
- something presages something
- presaging trouble
Dark clouds were gathering over the bay, presaging a violent storm.
The sudden drop in sales was presaging a much deeper crisis for the company.
She felt a cold shiver, presaging the bad news that arrived that evening.
verbtransitiveliteraryformal
Predicting or sensing in advance that something will happen, as a person does with a feeling or warning.
Grammar: The subject is usually a person or a feeling: presaging disaster.
Patterns
- presage something
The old sailor, presaging a change in the weather, tied the boats down early.
Critics were presaging the end of the band long before the final album appeared.
Word forms
| base form | presage |
|---|---|
| third person singular | presages |
| past tense | presaged |
| -ing form | presaging |
Common combinations
- presaging a storm
- The falling barometer was presaging a storm.
- presaging trouble
- Her silence at dinner seemed to be presaging trouble.
- presaging the end of
- The factory closure was presaging the end of the town's main industry.
- presaging a change
- A few early signs were presaging a change in policy.
- presaging disaster
- The strange noises from the engine were presaging disaster.
Synonyms and how they differ
- foreshadowing
- Foreshadowing is more often used for stories and art, while presaging suits real events and omens.
- heralding
- Heralding announces something new in a positive or neutral way, whereas presaging often hints at something bad.
- portending
- Portending is stronger and nearly always means a threatening sign, so it sounds more ominous than presaging.
- predicting
- Predicting is the plain everyday word and can be a deliberate statement, while presaging describes a sign or hunch.
Word family
Commonly confused: presaging or presaging vs presiding?
presaging vs presaging vs presiding
Presiding means being in charge of a meeting or event, while presaging means signalling that something will happen.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence? The unusually calm sea was ___ the arrival of a hurricane.
Choose one answer.
Presaging means giving a sign of what is coming. Presiding is about leading a meeting, so it fails here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “presaging”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.