impending
Americanadjective
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about to happen; imminent.
their impending marriage.
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imminently threatening or menacing.
an impending storm.
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Archaic. overhanging.
adjective
Related Words
See imminent.
Etymology
Origin of impending
Explanation
If something is impending, it is about to happen. If you hear thunder in the distance, you might go inside to escape the impending storm. The word impending often refers to something threatening or frightening: impending doom, impending disaster. Something that is impending hangs over you — you might say, "I was so distracted by thoughts of my impending failure in my exams, I couldn't study." A synonym is imminent.
Vocabulary lists containing impending
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 4
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Things Fall Apart
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, who leads the US justice department, has declined to confirm reports of an impending indictment.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Panko has a client with an impending RMD that will be $280,000, and they will have to pay tax on that as income.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Earlier this month, the brigade held a ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas, where it is based, to herald its impending deployment.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Sims, establishing the “one person, one vote” rule for state legislative districts, that because of “equitable considerations,” it would not be applying the new rule to the impending elections.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
Another way of seeing this is that the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole, is like the edge of a shadow—the shadow of impending doom.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
