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 big question is whether those who follow them will change course, with royalist hopes resting on Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' generation to usher in a renaissance. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Summer also ushers in Shakespeare & Company's lively plays, adding a dose of drama (pun intended) to the season. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025

October ushers in vibrant, changing fall colors with bursts of orange, red and yellow punctuating the dense forest. —Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025

This collaboration could pave the way for other OOR services, ushering in a new era of post-launch space servicing. —Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1