looming

[ loo-ming ]

noun

1. a mirage in which objects below the horizon seem to be raised above their true positions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of looming¹

First recorded in 1620–30; loom ² + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Further research could explore the underlying biology of the adaptive mechanism and uncover new ways to combat one of the biggest looming crises in global health.

From Science Daily

For most of the running time, it keeps politics on the margins, like a phantom presence looming over the members of one bourgeois family’s everyday lives.

From New York Times

Of course you’re not going to talk about the looming economic disaster posed by tariffs or the scourge of pet-eating immigrants with The Other Side.

From Los Angeles Times

“The increasing specificity of Trump’s tariff threats,” he said, “both in terms of the amounts and the countries to be targeted, indicates the strong possibility that these are looming actions rather than just blustery threats.”

From Salon

With a trip to Liverpool in the Premier League looming on Sunday, a sixth successive defeat is almost unthinkable.

From BBC

Related Words

• approaching
• imminent
• impending