imminent

adjective

im·​mi·​nent ˈi-mə-nənt How to pronounce imminent (audio)
: ready to take place : happening soon
… systems engineers have become rather blasé about the imminent liftoff.Steven L. Thompson
often used of something bad or dangerous seen as menacingly near
imminent disaster
Like books, board games appear headed for imminent demise at the hands of cathode-ray terminals.Will Manley
imminently adverb

Did you know?

On Imminent and Eminent

Imminent bears a close resemblance to eminent, and native English-speakers can be excused if they sometimes have to check their spelling. No surprise, really, since the two, despite their very distinct meanings, come from near-identical sources. The Latin minēre means basically “to project, overhang,” and it forms the root of other Latin words. One added the prefix e-, meaning “out from,” to produce eminēre, “to stand out”; another took the prefix im-, meaning “upon,” and became imminēre, “to project.” The difference between “stand out” and “project” is obviously small. Still, even when eminent and imminent first appeared as English words in the 15th and 16th centuries respectively, they were clearly distinct in meaning, imminent’s prefix having strengthened the “overhang” sense of minēre to give the word its frequent suggestion of looming threat.

Examples of imminent in a Sentence

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the local authorities were momentarily stunned, and began frantically trying to prepare for what they feared were further imminent attacks. Richard A. Clarke, Atlantic, January/February 2005
The compression squashes the bullet slightly, enabling about a half-dozen spiral grooves cut along the barrel's inner wall to grab the bullet and make it spin. That spin stabilizes the bullet's imminent flight. Peter Weiss, Science News, 11 Jan. 2003
Plaints about the imminent demise of the language are made in every century. But there is usually nothing inherently wrong with most changes the purists deplore. Steven Pinker, New York Times, 24 Dec. 1999
We are awaiting their imminent arrival. These patients are facing imminent death.
Recent Examples on the Web The World Food Program said last week that famine was imminent if the amount of aid going into Northern Gaza was not increased exponentially. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 Spring showers are also imminent, so don't forget to stock up your gear with the $42 Columbia Men's Glennaker Rain Jacket. David Moses, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2024 This warning is issued when severe thunderstorms are occurring or imminent in the warning area. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 The rescue team can only intervene if the person asks for help or if there appears to be imminent danger. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 The Florida bill aims to establish a lethality assessment protocol (LAP) in the state, a procedure for law enforcement to quickly evaluate whether a domestic violence victim faces imminent danger, serious injury or even death. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 There, similar sirens warned of imminent bombings by Israeli jets soaring overhead. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 That’s a lower chance than at the beginning of the year, when investors seemed convinced that rate cuts were imminent. Krystal Hur, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Talks involving Egypt, Qatar and the United States were underway Sunday in Cairo, but a deal did not appear to be imminent. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imminent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English imynent, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French iminent, emynant, borrowed from Latin imminent-, imminens, present participle of imminēre "to rise up, project so as to overhang (of a structure or natural feature), be intent, impend (of something unpleasant or dangerous), threaten," from im- im- + -minēre, taken to mean "stand out, rise above" (unattested without a prefix) — more at minatory

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of imminent was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near imminent

Cite this Entry

“Imminent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imminent. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

imminent

adjective
im·​mi·​nent ˈim-ə-nənt How to pronounce imminent (audio)
: being about to happen
in imminent danger
imminently adverb

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