Portend: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when referring to an event or situation that predicts or seems to warn of a future event, often with a negative connotation.

• Dark clouds portend a massive storm.
• The sudden drop in stock prices portends an economic crisis.

Used in a more formal context to predict future events, often with a mystical or prophetic element.

• The oracle claimed she could foretell the future.
• The fortune teller foretold that he would meet a mysterious stranger.

Used in everyday language to indicate an educated guess or estimation about future events based on current information or trends.

• Scientists can predict the weather with increasing accuracy.
• Economists predict a rise in inflation next year.

Typically used in literature and storytelling to hint at future events, creating suspense or preparing the audience for what is to come.

• The author's detailed description of the rusty key foreshadows its significance later in the story.
• The eerie music foreshadowed the horror that would later unfold in the film.

Portend is used to indicate that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen. Often found in formal writing or dramatic contexts.

• The dark clouds portend a thunderstorm
• The economic indicators portend a possible recession

Forebode is generally used to indicate a strong inner feeling or intuition that something bad is going to happen. It often carries a sense of dread.

• She had a sense of foreboding that something terrible was about to happen
• His dreams seemed to forebode disaster

Presage is used to denote something that foreshadows or predicts a future event. It is often found in literary or formal contexts.

• The sudden drop in stock prices presaged the economic downturn
• The eerie calm presaged a violent storm

Omen refers to a sign or event regarded as a portent of good or evil. It is often used in a superstitious or symbolic context.

• Seeing a black cat is considered an omen of bad luck
• The sudden appearance of the comet was seen as a good omen by the villagers