usher

1 of 2

noun

ush·er ˈə-shər

Synonyms of usher next

: an officer or servant who has the care of the door of a court, hall, or chamber

: an officer who walks before a person of rank

: one who escorts persons to their seats (as in a theater)

archaic : an assistant teacher

usher

2 of 2

verb

ushered; ushering ˈə-sh(ə-)riŋ

transitive verb

: to conduct to a place

: to precede as an usher, forerunner, or harbinger

: to cause to enter : introduce

a new theory ushered into the world

intransitive verb

: to serve as an usher

usher at a wedding

Example Sentences

Verb He ushered them to their seats. A nurse ushered us into the hospital room.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On the weekends, Lamar was an usher at Morning Star Baptist Church of Christ, his great-grandmother said. —

Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2023 Many of the mourners at the 90-minute service had waited in a long line outside the Ryman since 8 a.m., according to an usher at the event. —

Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 13 Jan. 2023 Multilingual services bring parish together At Palm Sunday Mass, so many families packed into the pews that ushers set up folding chairs in the back. —

Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2023 Alfaro first worked as an usher at CTG, then as a performer. —

Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2022 Max Woodward, who joined the Kennedy Center’s staff as an usher when the performing arts center opened in 1971 and retired in 2016 as vice president of theater programming, overseeing touring Broadway productions and original shows, died Oct. 14 at a care center in Washington. —

Bart Barnes, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022 Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers sat together in one pew; ushers asked people to give up their seats for Covenant School students. —

Kim Mueller, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2023 Some things were immediately different from a true rock show — like the usher who hands patrons earplugs. —

Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2023 Orlov, who once delivered a crushing blow that helped usher Kevan Miller to retirement, adds real size (5-11, 215) to the left side on defense, a spot that can be a challenge for the undersized Matt Grzelcyk when the game temperature turns up in the playoffs. —

Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2023

Verb

The principal of the Golovin school ushered the riders in for a hot meal after seeing their approach on his computer. —

Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Apr. 2023 Nate is ushered into Rupert’s (Anthony Head) private world and introduced to a model as a post-victory perk (eww), while the owner paws at his assistant (double eww). —

Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2023 While not shying away from the profound cruelty of Saddam’s reign, Will ushers us into unsettling intimacy with the perplexingly real human being behind the sceptre. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Mar. 2023 Isabella McCune was ushered into a hospital room last Thursday, greeted by a woman who was, by all appearances, a doctor. —

Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2023 After laboring away under the hood of countless Camrys, Siennas, Highlanders, and many other models, Toyota's 3.5-liter V-6 is slowly being ushered off stage. —

Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 24 Mar. 2023 Bing, however, is cheerily ushering us into the post-search future. —

Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2023 While in the line, small groups of guests are ushered into a room with what appears to be a wall-spanning video screen. —

Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2023 The latest in the parade of storms ushered moisture into California Sunday, lashing the state with high winds and dumping more rain and snow over the region before it was expected to spread inland Monday. —

Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'usher.' 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 ussher, from Anglo-French ussier, usscher, from Vulgar Latin *ustiarius doorkeeper, from Latin ostium, ustium door, mouth of a river — more at ostium

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1588, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of usher was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century