noun
a sign or warning that something momentous or calamitous is likely to happen
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The dark clouds gathering in the sky were seen as a portent of an impending storm.
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Seeing a black cat cross your path is often considered a portent of bad luck.
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The sudden chill in the air was a real portent that something was about to go down.
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The sudden drop in stock prices was a portent of the economic downturn ahead.