portend
Use Portend in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising.
2.
to signify; mean.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To portend
00:10
Portend
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is writhe. Does it mean:
| to twist the body about, or squirm, as in pain, violent effort, etc. |
| to speak ill of; defame; slander. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
portend (pɔːˈtɛnd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to give warning of; predict or foreshadow |
| 2. | obsolete to indicate or signify; mean |
| [C15: from Latin portendere to indicate, foretell; related to prōtendere to stretch out] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
portend
early 15c., from L. portendere "foretell," originally "to stretch forward," from por- (variant of pro-) "forth, forward" + tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
There is certainly nothing about her pudgy cheeks that could be said to portend the fragile facial contours of a ballerina.
The two clown around; they exchange fragments of thoughts that portend more than they state.
Corporate bond rates keep rising, portend defaults.
Aesthetically this is not bad at all, but in practical terms it may portend disaster.
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