WordGarden.ioimpend
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɪmpˈɛnd/
US
- /ˌɪmˈpɛnd/
Meanings
Verb
to be about to happen, especially as something threatening or unwelcome
Beyond the definition
Imagine a dark storm cloud gathering on the horizon—you can feel something big is coming even before it arrives. That sense of something serious drawing near is what "impend" describes. A deadline might impend, a difficult conversation might impend, or danger might impend over a city. Think of it as a shadow lengthening before the object appears. This word is often used in dramatic or thoughtful writing. In a story like Julius Caesar, the Ides of March hang over everything with a sense of coming trouble.
To impend means to be about to happen, especially in a way that feels serious, threatening, or hard to ignore. It suggests that something is hanging over a person, place, or situation. Unlike words like "occur" or "happen," which simply state that an event takes place, "impend" adds a feeling of expectation, often mixed with worry or weight.
You might say, "A major decision impends," meaning an important choice is very near. Or, "War impended over the region," meaning people could sense that conflict was close. The word is most often used for negative or difficult situations, but not always. A major event can also impend in a more neutral way if the writer wants to stress its importance and nearness.
The word comes from the Latin impendere, meaning "to hang over." This origin helps explain why "impending" often carries a sense of heaviness and inevitability. It's a formal and literary word, rarely used in casual conversation. You're more likely to find it describing dramatic events in literature, news reports about crises, or when emphasizing the gravity of an approaching situation.
So, if something is impending, pay attention—it's not just coming, it's casting a shadow before it arrives, and you can feel its weight bearing down.
Examples
- 1
Political crisis
A constitutional crisis impends unless both sides compromise soon.
- 2
Regional disaster
By late autumn, famine impended over the region.
- Usageformal; impend over + place/group
be about to happen there
- 3
Literary foreshadowing
In the novel, the empty streets and hushed voices suggest that violence impends.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- impendverb
Forms
- impending-ing formverb
- impendedpast tenseverb
- impendsverb