usher in

verb

ushered in; ushering in; ushers in

transitive verb

1
: to serve to bring into being
a discovery that ushered in a period of change
2
: to mark or observe the beginning of
ushered in the new year with merrymaking
Choose the Right Synonym for usher in

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation.

begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable.

begin, opposed to end, is the most general.

begin a trip
began dancing

start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.

the work started slowly

commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.

commence firing
commenced a conversation

initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.

initiated diplomatic contacts

inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.

the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine

usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.

ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of usher in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The chatbot, which can generate cover letters, jokes, scripts and just about any other kind of text, took artificial intelligence mainstream, ushering in a new craze in Silicon Valley. Richard Nieva, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The holidays have arrived, ushering in glad tidings and a heaping dose of Christmas cheer along with them. Sarah Lemire, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Nov. 2023 But the French Revolution marked a change, ushering in an era when men began to favor more utilitarian forms of dress. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 25 Nov. 2023 Dietz believed that open source—the practice of making software code available for anyone to see, use, and riff upon—could usher in this new dawn. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023 Ethiopians’ longing for peace appeared to be answered in 2018 when Abiy Ahmed of the Oromo Democratic Party came to power, ushering in a wave of reforms and promising more inclusive governance. Patrick Vinck, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2023 During the Hindu festival of Diwali, intricate neon-hued sand decorations called rangoli embellish the entrances of homes across India and the diaspora, their presence intended to ward off evil and usher in good fortune. Mahira Rivers, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 The point was always to start a movement that would help bring down Western Civilization and usher in the Leftist Utopia. Noah Rothman, National Review, 10 Nov. 2023 Jezebel ushered in a boom in online feminist media, and many of those verticals are gone now too, from Broadly at Vice (which also announced layoffs yesterday) to DoubleX at Slate. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'usher in.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of usher in was circa 1600

Dictionary Entries Near usher in

Cite this Entry

“Usher in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usher%20in. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

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