bode

¹ American  

[bohd] / boʊd /

verb (used with object)

boded, boding

1. to be an omen of; portend.

   The news bodes evil days for him.

2. Archaic. to announce beforehand; predict.

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verb (used without object)

boded, boding

1. to portend.

   The news bodes well for him.

bode ² American  

[bohd] / boʊd /

verb

1. a simple past tense of bide.

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bode ¹ British  

/ bəʊd /

verb

1. to be an omen of (good or ill, esp of ill); portend; presage

2. archaic (tr) to predict; foretell

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bode ² British  

/ bəʊd /

verb

1. the past tense of bide

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Other Word Forms

• bodement noun
• boding noun

Etymology

Origin of bode

before 1000; Middle English boden, Old English bodian to announce, foretell (cognate with Old Norse botha ), derivative of boda messenger, cognate with German Bote, Old Norse bothi

Example Sentences

The increase in sales also bodes well for gross domestic product in the first quarter.

From MarketWatch

The success of this year’s High Desert Art Fair bodes well for the future of the area as a cultural destination.

From Los Angeles Times

Today’s surging energy prices and rising borrowing costs, for example, don’t bode well for people digging expensive holes in their backyards and filling them with water and chemicals.

From The Wall Street Journal

They believe the outcome bodes well for the eight bellwether trials set to follow in the months ahead.

From BBC

That bodes well for the March Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index reading, which is due to be released on Wednesday, April 1.

From Barron's