herald

1 of 2

noun

her·​ald ˈher-əld How to pronounce herald (audio)
ˈhe-rəld
1
a
: an official at a tournament of arms (see arm entry 3 sense 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
(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 mornWilliam Shakespeare
c
: one who actively promotes or advocates : exponent

herald

2 of 2

verb

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 windP. 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.

Did you know?

While herald the verb is more common today, herald the noun is older. When the word was first used in the early 14th century, it referred to an official at a tournament (one of those knightly sporting events the Middle Ages are famous for); the herald's duties included making announcements, hence the word's uses relating to announcements, literal and metaphorical. The word is ultimately Germanic in origin, coming from a long-lost word that can be translated as "one directing or having authority over a body of armed men," though like so many words of 14th century vintage, it came to English by way of Anglo-French. The resemblance between herald and the name Harold is not coincidental: Harold is a modern form of Chariovalda, the name of a 1st century C.E. leader of the Batavi, a tribe who lived on the lower Rhine. The Germanic source of Chariovalda, turned into a generic noun, is also the source of herald.

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of herald in a Sentence

Noun The early flowers are heralds of spring. Mercury was the herald of the Roman gods. Verb Rain heralds the arrival of spring. The technology heralded a new age of space exploration.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The monarch then took part in the procession that includes heralds, Great Officers of State and members of the Royal Household. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023 How did the Beer Hall Putsch herald Hitler’s rise to power? When Hitler was released from prison in December 1924, he was banned from giving speeches in much of Germany. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023 Tuesday's glam night in Singapore saw stars like actress Cate Blanchett, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and Emmy award-winning actor and producer Sterling K. Brown herald the next wave of environmentalists and businesses who have some of the answers to the planet's most pressing problems. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023 As the herald of Galactus, this sleek silver being skims through the universe, dodging meteors, while riding his shiny surfboard. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 Backed by a full band, Kenny channeled Patchy the Pirate and Taylor went for something more closely resembling a medieval town herald. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2023 Though used during the Colonial era in Lord Baltimore’s coat of arms, both heralds had fallen out of use after the Revolutionary War. Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023 Photo: Justin Tallis/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images In central Alaska the summer solstice—the longest day of the year and the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere—heralds a time of nearly endless daylight. Aylin Woodward, WSJ, 20 June 2023 Boeing and Airbus, the two largest aircraft manufacturers in the world, have very different opinions on which of these heralds the future of large passenger jets. Daniel Oberhaus, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2023
Verb
This awards season has provided plenty of florals, cut-outs and sheer gowns, but the Oscars heralded a new theme altogether: mermaid chic. CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Simone Biles, heralded as the Queen of Gymnastics, is headed to the Queen City this fall. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 To fulfill these myriad tasks, many large companies are heralding a new job title: Large Language Model Operations, or LLMOps, which includes prompt engineering in its lifecycle but also entails all the other tasks needed to deploy the product. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2024 Raw meat and square-ish bubbles herald the end of the partnership Beef and bubbles were among the ensuing frustrations. The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 In fact, his resignation heralded a calamity for his party. Alan Cowell, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The latest generation of artificial intelligence technology, including tools that let users almost instantly generate textual content, videos and audio, has been heralded as ushering in a new era of information by providing facts and analysis faster than a human can. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2024 The Future Of Viewing The introduction of Apple's Vision Pro into the marketplace heralds a nuanced shift in how viewers engage with broadcast entertainment. Nate Lorenzen, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Triumphant press releases have heralded multimillion-dollar grants scattered across the country, most to large cities with their share of dangerous streets. USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'herald.' 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

Noun

Middle English heraud, herald, harawd, borrowed from Anglo-French heraud, herald (continental Old French nominative hirauz, oblique hyraut), borrowed from Old Low Franconian *heriwalda-, from *heri- "body of armed men" (going back to Germanic *harja-) + *-walda- "one directing or having authority," noun derivative of *waldan- "to have authority over, rule" — more at harry, wield

Note: The Germanic compound noun exemplified by *heriwalda- is evident very early as a personal name, Chariovalda, a leader of the Batavi (a tribe living on the lower Rhine) mentioned by Tacitus (1st century a.d.). Later forms of the name are Hereweald (Old English) and Haraldr (Old Norse), whence the modern name Harold, and Heriwald (Old High German).

Verb

Middle English herauden "to sound the praises of," borrowed from Middle French hirauder, herauder "(of a herald) to proclaim publicly, to praise unreservedly," derivative of hiraud, heraud herald entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of herald was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Herald.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herald. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

herald

1 of 2 noun
her·​ald ˈher-əld How to pronounce herald (audio)
1
: an official announcer or messenger
2
: an officer responsible for granting and registering coats of arms
3
: one that precedes or foreshadows : harbinger

herald

2 of 2 verb
1
: to give notice of : announce
2
: to greet with enthusiasm : hail

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