herald

noun her·ald \ ˈher-əld , ˈhe-rəld \

Updated on: 26 Apr 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

See herald defined for English-language learners

See herald defined for kids

herald was our Word of the Day on 01/30/2016. Hear the podcast!

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

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
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
As the unofficial herald of spring and a celebration of all things Irish, St. Patrick's Day is the perfect opportunity for merrymaking.

— kari costas, ELLE Decor, "A Lush St. Patrick's Day Table That's Totally Unexpected," 11 Mar. 2016
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

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

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

Vieques, Puerto RicoAs the cry of a rooster heralded the dawn, Joe Garcia, 41, pulled a vial of insulin from the fridge.

— carmen heredia rodriguez, CNN, "Months after Maria, Puerto Rican patients must travel 12 hours for dialysis," 18 Apr. 2018
The Sunday Express has pretty much the same story, except in their version April 23 will not herald war, but rather huge apocalyptic volcanoes as Planet X’s gravity rips up Earth’s core.

— avi selk, Washington Post, "Just kill us already, Planet X," 13 Apr. 2018
Several people close to A.M.I. and Mr. Cohen have said that the lawyer was in regular contact with company executives during the presidential campaign, when The Enquirer regularly heralded Mr. Trump and attacked his rivals.

— mike mcintire, jim rutenberg and maggie haberman, New York Times, "Michael Cohen, ‘Ultimate Trump Loyalist,’ Now in the Sights of the F.B.I.," 10 Apr. 2018
The largely dialogue-free A Quiet Place is being heralded as an innovative blockbuster, and deservedly so — but does its clever concept reach its full cinematic potential?

— ciara wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "What 'A Quiet Place' Forgets About Silence and Cinema," 9 Apr. 2018
Hilliard was one of the least heralded of LSU's 11 new pitchers this season.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "Little Big Man: LSU pitcher Ma'Khail Hilliard cuts batters down to size," 30 Mar. 2018
The surge in bunds has come even as some prominent commentators heralded the start of a bear market in global bonds.

— john ainger, Bloomberg.com, "Europe's Bond Rally Set to Extend Into April on Debt Repayments," 26 Mar. 2018
Regardless of who is in charge at Goodison next season - Sam Allardyce is under pressure after all - Shaw could be the right man to step into Baines' shoes and herald in a new decade-long stint in that position on the field.

— SI.com, "FanView: Everton Could Make Man Utd Misfit a 'Shaw Thing' as Long-Term Baines Replacement," 20 Mar. 2018
In 2016 the Pentagon released its Space Enterprise Vision, heralded as a new direction to elevate space in the eyes of the USAF.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Why Would We Need a U.S. Space Force, Anyway?," 14 Mar. 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.