verb
- to be a sign or warning that something, especially something bad, will happen in the future
Usage: formal
Examples
- The dark clouds portend a severe storm.
- Economic experts believe the rising unemployment rates portend a recession.
- The strange behavior of the animals seemed to portend an earthquake.
- Her sudden silence portended trouble ahead.
- The company’s declining sales portend difficult times for employees.
- Ancient civilizations believed that eclipses portended disaster.