Imminent

/ˈɪmənənt/

/ˈɪmɪnɪnt/

IPA guide

Something that is imminent is just about to happen: if you light a firecracker and then stick it down your pants, a very bad situation is imminent.

Imminent is from Latin imminere, "to overhang," and to say that something is imminent is to say that it is hanging over you and about to fall, in a metaphorical way. If you take your mom’s car and drive it into the mailbox, getting grounded is imminent. You don’t want that hanging over your head!

Definitions of imminent

adjective
close in time; about to occur

“in imminent danger”

synonyms: at hand, close at hand, impendent, impending

close
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

Pronunciation

/ˈɪmənənt/

/ˈɪmɪnɪnt/

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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘imminent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback

Commonly confused words

eminent / imminent / immanent

No, it's not the name of the latest rapper from Detroit, but it could describe one — eminent describes anyone who's famous. Imminent refers to something about to happen. And anything immanent (with an "a" in there) is inherent, like that good attitude you were born with.

Word Family

eminent / imminent / immanent

Vocabulary lists containing imminent

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