- to be an omen or warning of; foreshadow; presage
- to be an indication of; signify
Origin of portend
Middle English portenden from Classical Latin portendere from por-, akin to per, through + tendere, to stretch: see thin
The ominous clouds portend a heavy storm.
Portend is defined as to be a warning or signal of.
When rain clouds warn of rain, this is an example of a time when the clouds portend rain.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"portend." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND>.
APA Style
portend. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND
portend
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"portend." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND>.
APA Style
portend. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND
portend
transitive verb
por·tend·ed, por·tend·ing, por·tends- To serve as an omen or a warning of; presage: black clouds that portend a storm.
- To indicate by prediction; forecast: leading economic indicators that portend a recession.
Origin of portend
Middle English portenden from Latin portendere ; see ten- in Indo-European roots.THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"portend." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND>.
APA Style
portend. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND
Verb
(third-person singular simple present portends, present participle portending, simple past and past participle portended)
Origin
From the Latin portendere (“to foretell"), from por- (“forward") + tendere (“to stretch"), present active infinitive of tendo.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"portend." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND>.
APA Style
portend. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PORTEND
Sentence Examples
- "Kids' Sleep Problems Can Portend Alcohol and Drug Use."
- "Kids' Sleep Problems Can Portend Alcohol and Drug Use."
- Many believe that the recent eclipses portend some disaster or another ahead.
- Having a black cat pass your path is said to portend bad luck.
- I'm hoping that my terrible grades in school right now do not portend my later success in life.
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