herald

noun her·ald \ ˈher-əld , ˈhe-rəld \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Definition of herald

1 a : an official at a tournament of arms (see ³arm 1a) with duties including the making of announcements and the marshaling of combatants

b : an officer with the status of ambassador acting as official messenger between leaders especially in war

c (1) : officer of arms

(2) : an officer of arms ranking above a pursuivant and below a king of arms

2 : an official crier or messenger

Mercury was the gods' herald.

3 a : one that precedes or foreshadows

heralds of a coming storm

b : one that conveys news or proclaims : announcer

it was the lark, the herald of the morn
—William Shakespeare

c : one who actively promotes or advocates : exponent

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Examples of herald in a Sentence

The early flowers are heralds of spring.
Mercury was the herald of the Roman gods.

Recent Examples of herald from the Web

Müller’s success in a modern 4-2-3-1 formation was the herald of a new generation.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 1 Day to Go - Germany's Mild-Mannered Goal Machine, Miroslav Klose," 13 June 2018
Months ago, its heralds announced that electric scooters had overtaken cities across California.

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "Electric Scooters Are the Cargo Shorts of Transportation," 31 May 2018
Image To most people, the buds and sprouts of April are welcome heralds of spring.

— zach montague, New York Times, "Lanternflies Eat Everything in Sight. The U.S. Is Looking Delicious.," 21 May 2018
Tulane also stated its commencement will feature live jazz, herald trumpets, confetti cannons and a second-line procession.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Steve Gleason among 4 to receive honorary Tulane degree," 7 May 2018
But now that season arrives like a presciently timed herald of the #MeToo-Time’s Up revolution, with 13 female directors and 9 of 13 episodes written or co-written by women.

— mike hale, New York Times, "Review: ‘Jessica Jones’ Returns, Well Timed for the Time’s Up Moment," 7 Mar. 2018
Still, Atwell thinks the author was a herald of social change.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Hayley Atwell Found Herself in One of Literature’s Greatest Heroines," 30 Apr. 2018
Accompanying the ball Captain were his heralds, Misses Rayven Payton and Rayion Payton.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Original Illinois Club Carnival Ball 2018 honors heritage," 12 Feb. 2018
Outside the hall, the morning air was filled with light, cheerful music from the CSO Chamber Players, and fanfares from herald trumpets on the balcony above.

— monroe trombly, Cincinnati.com, "Look inside the renovated Cincinnati Music Hall," 7 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'herald.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of herald

Middle English, from Anglo-French heraud, herald, from Frankish *heriwald-, literally, leader of an armed force, from *heri- army + *wald- rule; akin to Old High German heri- army, waltan to rule — more at harry, wield

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

herald Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of herald

forerunner, precursor, harbinger, herald mean one that goes before or announces the coming of another. forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

- the blockade was the forerunner of war

precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

- 18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

- their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season
- the herald of a new age in medicine

Other Heraldry Terms

blazon, cachet, couchant, dormant, escutcheon, potent, standard, totem

herald

verb

Definition of herald

heralded; heralding; heralds

transitive verb

1 : to give notice of : announce

a gong used to herald the new year

the approach of a cold air mass … is heralded by a shift of the wind
—P. E. James

2 a : to greet especially with enthusiasm : hail

doctors are heralding a new drug

b : publicize

a highly heralded event

3 : to signal the approach of : foreshadow

The technology heralded a new age of space exploration.

See herald defined for English-language learners

Examples of herald in a Sentence

Rain heralds the arrival of spring.
The technology heralded a new age of space exploration.

Recent Examples of herald from the Web

The sequence, midway through Thursday night’s second quarter, was the Magic’s signature moment of an otherwise forgettable outing in which team officials rested second-year forward Jonathan Isaac and heralded rookie center Mo Bamba.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Rookie Melvin Frazier Jr. showing defensive grit but unrefined offensive game," 14 July 2018
The Manny Machado trade rumor express rolled through Philadelphia last week, months after its heralded stop on the South Side of Chicago.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Nationals spinning out of control under rookie manager Dave Martinez," 7 July 2018
The tech giants are worried that the new law could hamper their operations and herald tougher regulation on the national level in the wake of controversy over how these companies share users' data.

— derek hawkins, Washington Post, "The Cybersecurity 202: Big tech is going after California's new privacy law," 3 July 2018
And things are looking up for offshore anglers as the summer solstice heralds the arrival of true summer and with it better fishing prospects.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Better days ahead for Texas offshore anglers," 23 June 2018
A year later, Volkswagen followed with the Concept A, which heralded the return of the near-mythical Beetle.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Here’s how to save the Detroit auto show," 22 June 2018
Every Father’s Day weekend since 1976, our small farming town North Judson, population 1,739, has hosted the annual Mint Festival, heralding our community’s agricultural crop claim-to-fame.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Peppermint royalty reigns in North Judson for 42nd Mint Festival," 15 June 2018
More bathrooms, expanded food choices, wider spaces, improved sound — and above all, luxury seating — all heralded a new age in sports entertainment.

— sam donnellon, Philly.com, "As Philadelphia changes, Wells Fargo Center tries to change with it," 7 June 2018
He's also generated considerable expectations about how the summit can herald a warm relationship between longstanding enemies.

— CBS News, "Trump hints at longer path for North Korea to denuke," 2 June 2018

Did You Know?

The exact origin of "herald" is uncertain, but it is thought to derive from Germanic roots. Specifically, etymologists believe that "herald" developed from an assumed Frankish compound whose first component is akin to the Old High German heri-, meaning "army," and whose second component is akin to the Old High German word waltan, meaning "to rule." When "herald" first appeared on the scene in the 14th century, it referred to an official at a tournament of arms whose duties included the making of announcements. The verb forms, extending the "announcement" idea, soon followed.