herald

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noun her·ald \ ˈher-əld , ˈhe-rəld \

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

Nevertheless, the F50 remains a car of import, a herald of stupefying machines yet to come.

— davey g. johnson, Car and Driver, "At Dark among the Prancing Horses: We Wander a Field of 70 Historic Ferraris," 25 Aug. 2017
That stroke of the clock, TIME reported, was met with rejoicing: And as the twelfth chime of midnight died out, a conch shell, traditional herald of the dawn, sounded raucously through the chamber.

— lily rothman, Time, "How India Celebrated Its First Independence Day 70 Years Ago," 15 Aug. 2017
In calling Saint Mary Magdalene to the unparalleled dignity of being the first herald of the Resurrection, Jesus ushered in a new era, in which women would be called to be among his greatest missionaries, saints, and friends.

— nr interview, National Review, "Finding Peace with Mary Magdalene," 22 July 2017
So why would any town want to honor such a pest with an expensive statue, let alone call it a herald of prosperity?

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Why an Alabama Town Has a Monument Honoring the Most Destructive Pest in American History," 31 May 2017
No cars were parked in front of the house by the time a Herald reporter arrived.

— patricia mazzei, miamiherald, "Protesters ask Miami lawmaker to resign over residency," 22 May 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

See Words from the same year

herald Synonyms

Synonyms

advocate, advocator, apostle, backer, booster, champion, expounder, espouser, friend, gospeler (or gospeller), exponent, hierophant, high priest, paladin, promoter, proponent, protagonist, supporter, true believer, tub-thumper, white knight

Antonyms

adversary, antagonist, opponent

Related Words

loyalist, partisan (also partizan), stalwart; adherent, cohort, disciple, follower; interpreter; applauder, cheerleader, encourager, fellow traveler

Near Antonyms

enemy, foe, rival; belittler, critic, faultfinder

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

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

Fans also accused the sisters of cultural appropriation for that same swimsuit style, when media outlets heralded Kylie for spearheading the camo bikini trend worn by Destiny's Child years before.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Kendall and Kylie Jenner Launched a Swimwear Line With Revolve," 17 July 2017
Lerner Enterprises erected a sign heralding the coming of new development officials had hoped would have been the new FBI headquarters.

— jonathan o'connell, Washington Post, "In Prince George’s County, canceled FBI deal means back to the drawing board," 14 July 2017
Spider-Man 2 (2004) Heralded as one of the best superhero movies ever made, Sam Raimi's second Spider-Man movie focused on the human behind the mask.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "This Is the Definitive Ranking of Every Single Spider-Man Movie," 6 July 2017
But Tuesday the most notable float may have been the one heralding Liars and Losers, with big images of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

— The Hive, "New York Not Impressed By Rahm Emanuel’s Gloating," 5 July 2017
JAY-Z's new album 4:44 has been popularly heralded as a response to Beyoncé's landmark fifth album Lemonade, but in particularly it's been pored over for its references to relationship infidelity.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Beyoncé Approved Every Song on JAY-Z's New Album, According to His Producer," 3 July 2017
The Bulldogs will also boast the returning talent of Eric Adams, Alex Peters, Josh Sharkey, Gerald Smith and Tanner Tapp, along with heralded transfer from the University of Alabama, Justin Coleman, who will be eligible to compete this season.

— samford athletics, AL.com, "Samford's Scott Padgett signs 5-year contact extension through 2022," 3 July 2017
Thailand has sold much of its ample stocks of rice, heralding a shift for the regional market: The grain is now trading in response to short-term shifts in supply and demand, which are driving prices higher.

— lucy craymer, WSJ, "Rice Prices on the Rise as Inventory Shrinks," 28 June 2017
The foremost practitioners of this new style were Barry McKinley, Rico Puhlmann, and a third photographer who started out as the least heralded of the bunch but ultimately emerged as the most influential: Bruce Weber.

— david kamp, GQ, "It All Started Here: The Gay Legacy of GQ," 23 June 2017

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.