WordGarden.ioforebode
C2Pronunciation
UK
US
- /fɔrˈboʊd/
Meanings
Verb
to signal or predict that something bad is likely to happen
to feel anxious certainty that something bad will happen
Beyond the definition
If dark clouds gather before a storm, they forebode trouble, meaning they hint at or warn of something unpleasant to come. It's more than just predicting; it often carries a feeling of dread or worry. Think of a creaking door in a haunted house; it forebodes that something spooky is about to happen. The word suggests that the future may bring something bad. You might say a politician's speech foreboded difficult times ahead, or a sudden silence foreboded an argument. It's often used when the warning comes not only from facts, but also from a strong uneasy feeling.
To forebode means to predict or indicate that something unpleasant is going to happen. Unlike simply predicting, which can be based on evidence and reason, foreboding often comes with a sense of dread, an intuitive feeling that something bad is looming on the horizon. It's as if the present moment carries a dark warning about what is coming.
The word comes from Old English roots and has developed strong links with gloom and danger. You would not usually say "the sunny weather forebodes a good picnic," because forebode is almost always used for something negative.
You'll often find it used in literature and storytelling to create suspense or a heavy atmosphere. A character might feel a sense of foreboding when entering a dark forest, or an unsettling dream might forebode tragedy. For example: "The empty streets and silent houses foreboded a disaster." Or: "A chill ran down her spine; the sudden, heavy silence seemed to forebode a coming storm."
While it can be used in everyday conversation, forebode is often reserved for situations where the predicted event feels significant, eerie, or deeply unsettling. It's not just about what will happen, but about the uneasy anticipation of its arrival.
Examples
- 1
Weather
The dark clouds over the hills seemed to forebode heavy rain.
- Usage
forebode is formal and literary; in everyday English, people often say "suggest" or "signal"
- 2
Hidden anger
Nothing in his calm voice foreboded the anger he would show a few minutes later.
- 3
Economics
For many economists, the rise in food prices forebodes a difficult year ahead.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- forebode disaster
- forebode trouble
- signs forebode
Word family
- foreboding
- bode
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- forebodeverb