1
a
: an officer or servant who has the care of the door of a court, hall, or chamber
b
: an officer who walks before a person of rank
c
: one who escorts persons to their seats (as in a theater)
2
archaic
: an assistant teacher
ushered; ushering
ˈə-sh(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to conduct to a place
2
: to precede as an usher, forerunner, or harbinger
3
: to cause to enter : introduce
a new theory ushered into the world
: to serve as an usher
usher at a wedding
Examples of usher in a Sentence
Verb
He ushered them to their seats.
A nurse ushered us into the hospital room.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
As a kid, she’d been terrified of the jeoseung saja of Korean folklore, Grim Reaper–esque ushers into the afterlife.
—Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
That rise was clearest when 35-year-old cofounder Ben Palka was ushered into the Pentagon orbit by Pete Hegseth to speak in October behind the Department of War seal at one of Hegseth’s Christian prayer and worship services.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for usher
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Noun
Check in with a staffer, who after a short wait ushers diners into Ki in the order of their arrival.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
As a kid, she’d been terrified of the jeoseung saja of Korean folklore, Grim Reaper–esque ushers into the afterlife.
—Eliza Berman, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Instead, we were ushered into a conference room filled with tabletop exhibits of flyers and toy bins.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
That rise was clearest when 35-year-old cofounder Ben Palka was ushered into the Pentagon orbit by Pete Hegseth to speak in October behind the Department of War seal at one of Hegseth’s Christian prayer and worship services.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for usher
Cite this Entry
“Usher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usher. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
usher
1 of 2 noun
ush·er
ˈəsh-ər
: a person who leads other persons to seats (as in a theater or at a wedding)
usher
2 of 2 verb
ushered; ushering
ˈəsh-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to lead to a place
2
: to cause to enter : introduce
usher in a new era
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