portend
[ pawr-tend, pohr- ]
verb (used with object)
to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising.
to signify; mean.
Origin of portend
1Other words for portend
Other words from portend
- un·por·tend·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with portend
- portend , pretend
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for portend
portend
/ (pɔːˈtɛnd) /
verb(tr)
to give warning of; predict or foreshadow
obsolete to indicate or signify; mean
Origin of portend
1C15: from Latin portendere to indicate, foretell; related to prōtendere to stretch out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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