liable to happen soon; impending jutting out or overhanging
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•mi•nent /ˈɪmənənt/USA pronunciation
adj.
im•mi•nent•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- likely to occur at any moment:the imminent collapse of communism.
im•mi•nent•ly, adv.
im•mi•nent
(im′ə nənt),USA pronunciation adj.
im′mi•nent•ly, adv.
im′mi•nent•ness, n.
- likely to occur at any moment;
impending:Her death is imminent. - projecting or leaning forward;
overhanging.
- Latin imminent- (stem of imminēns), present participle of imminēre to overhang, equivalent. to im- im-1 + -min- from a base meaning "jut out, project, rise'' (compare eminent, mount2) + -ent- -ent
- 1520–30
im′mi•nent•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged near, at hand. Imminent, Impending, Threatening all may carry the implication of menace, misfortune, disaster, but they do so in differing degrees. Imminent may portend evil:an imminent catastrophe,but also may mean simply "about to happen'':The merger is imminent.Impending has a weaker sense of immediacy and threat than imminent:Real tax relief legislation is impending,but it too may be used in situations portending disaster:impending social upheaval; to dread the impending investigation.Threatening almost always suggests ominous warning and menace:a threatening sky just before the tornado struck.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged distant, remote.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'be imminent' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):