Definition

1. Verb:
   • To be a sign or omen of a future event, especially something significant or momentous: "bode" means to indicate or foreshadow what is to come, often suggesting a prediction based on signs or portents. It typically implies a sense of foreboding or anticipation.
   • To portend; to be an omen of: It conveys the idea of serving as a warning or indication of future developments, whether good or bad.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The dark clouds bode a severe storm. (The dark clouds are a sign indicating that a severe storm is coming.)
  • Her early success boded well for her future career. (Her early success was a positive omen for her future career.)
  • The sudden silence boded ill for the outcome of their meeting. (The sudden silence was an ominous sign for the outcome of their meeting.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Bode well": to be a good sign for the future; to promise favorable results.
  • The strong economic data bodes well for the job market.
• "Bode ill": to be a bad sign for the future; to portend trouble or misfortune.
  • His refusal to cooperate bodes ill for the peace negotiations.
• The verb "bode" is often used impersonally or with abstract subjects (e.g., events, signs, circumstances) and is frequently followed by an adverb like "well" or "ill" or a direct object indicating the nature of what is foreshadowed.

Variants and Related Words

• Forebode (verb): To foretell or predict, especially something ominous. Often used similarly to "bode ill."
  • Her dream foreboded great danger.
• Boding (noun): A feeling that something bad is going to happen; a foreboding.
  • A sense of boding filled the room.

Synonyms

• Portend: To serve as a warning or indication of (a future event).
• Augur: To portend a good or bad outcome. (Often used in constructions like "augur well/ill.")
• Presage: To be a sign or warning that something, typically something momentous or calamitous, is about to happen.
• Foreshadow: To be a warning or indication of a future event.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary and almost exclusive meaning of "bode" in modern English is as a verb meaning "to portend" or "to be an omen of." It is not commonly used in other grammatical forms or with significantly different meanings in contemporary usage.
• Historical Note: "Bode" is also an archaic past tense of the verb "bide" (meaning to wait or remain), but this usage is obsolete in modern English and is only encountered in historical or literary contexts. The active, predictive meaning is the standard one today.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• As in the provided reference: "These signs bode bad news." This is a classic construction where an observable sign ("these signs") is the subject acting to indicate ("bode") a specific future outcome ("bad news").

Verb

1. indicate by signs
   • These signs bode bad news