Dictionary

portend en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /pɔɹˈtɛnd/ (US)
• /pɔːˈtɛnd/ (UK)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin portendere (“to foretell”), from por- (“forward”) + tendere (“to stretch”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To serve as a warning or omen of.
   • A kingdom they portend thee, but what kingdom, / Real or allegoric, I discern not; Nor when: eternal sure--as without end, 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 4:
2. (transitive) To signify; to denote.
   • How alive these poems are with the visual specifics of what he so closely observes, how full of elegance, terror and hope. They portend a poet of major craft, of deep feeling, and of fine intelligence. 1982 April 10, Jane Barnes, “Terror and Hope”, in Gay Community News, page 10:
   • When the staccato, Neptunes-ian single “Boyfriend” was released in March, musical prognosticators were quick to peg the album it portended, Believe, as Justin Bieber’s Justified, a grown-and-sexy, R&B-centric departure that evolved millennial teenybopper Justin Timberlake into one of the unifying pop-music figures of the aughts. 2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020:
   • Margo vomits at her waitressing job without realizing what it portends. 2026 April 23, Sophie Gilbert, “Life Isn’t Easy in the OnlyFans Economy”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • Let it be known that the Rapture portends the End of Days.

Forms

Deriveds

portention · portendment · portender

Relateds

portentive · portent · portentous · harbinger

Synonyms

foreshadow · presage

Translations (48)

de bedeuten (to signify) · it presagire (to serve as a warning or omen) · el προαναγγέλω (to signify) · hy նախագուշակել (to serve as a warning or omen) · de hinweisen (to signify) · sv båda (to signify) · cs věstit (to serve as a warning or omen) · el προαναγγέλω (to serve as a warning or omen) · bg означавам (to signify) · ca anunciar (to serve as a warning or omen) · ar أَنْذَرَ (to serve as a warning or omen) · fr présager (to serve as a warning or omen) · el προμηνύω (to signify) · ru предзнаменова́ть (to signify) · cs být předzvěstí (varovnou) (to signify) · fr signifier (to signify) · ca presagiar (to serve as a warning or omen) · de vorhersagen (to serve as a warning or omen) · sh navijestiti (to serve as a warning or omen) · fr annoncer (to serve as a warning or omen) · hy կանխագուշակել (to serve as a warning or omen) · de vorbedeuten (to serve as a warning or omen) · hy նախանշան լինել (to signify) · tr (kötüye) işâret olmak (to signify) · tr önceden belirtmek (to serve as a warning or omen) · sh naznačiti (to signify) · tr delâlet etmek (to signify) · bg вещая (to serve as a warning or omen) · ru предвеща́ть (to serve as a warning or omen) · bg предвещавам (to serve as a warning or omen) · de deuten (to signify) · nl aankondigen (to serve as a warning or omen) · tr önceden haber vermek (to serve as a warning or omen) · es presagiar (to serve as a warning or omen) · de ankündigen (to serve as a warning or omen) · tr alâmet olmak (to signify) · hy գուշակել (to serve as a warning or omen) · fi tietää (to serve as a warning or omen) · it preannunciare (to serve as a warning or omen) · fi merkitä (to signify) · ru предзнамено́вывать (to signify) · pl oznaczać (to signify) · sv varsla (to serve as a warning or omen) · cs hlásat (to serve as a warning or omen) · de hindeuten (to signify) · la portendō (to serve as a warning or omen) · el προμηνύω (to serve as a warning or omen) · pt pressagiar (to serve as a warning or omen)