as in herald
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
her father's successful job interview was seen as a harbinger of better times to come
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to herald
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harbinger
Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025
This is a harbinger of what's to come for the rest of the country.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
While big investments to mitigate climate change have been made by both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature, environmentalists continue sounding the alarm and point to this toasty winter as a harbinger of things to come should no further action be taken on that front.
—Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
Mia was cornered into an apology, but understandably, no one is ready to forgive her in that moment, a harbinger for the next few hours that clearly has her spiraling.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025
This is a harbinger of what's to come for the rest of the country.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
While big investments to mitigate climate change have been made by both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature, environmentalists continue sounding the alarm and point to this toasty winter as a harbinger of things to come should no further action be taken on that front.
—Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
-
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star as the titular quartet, heroes who must defend the Earth against Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a ravenous space god who's hungry to devour the entire planet with the help of his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
18 Feb. 2025
-
In Turkey and the Middle East, the birds crop up in folklore as heralds of spring, guides for pilgrims, and the first creatures, along with two doves, to disembark from Noah’s ark.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The women's conference tournament foreshadowed a chaotic (but oh-so-good) March Madness.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
11 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Yankees’ worst nightmare has come true, though there were certainly signs that foreshadowed their most devastating injury yet this spring.—
Gary Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In 1914, Frank Newman opened the Royal Theatre which was a forerunner to movie palaces in the city, a significant departure from nickelodeons.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Hammond, the school’s forerunner, won its fourth straight 3A sectional title in 2008.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Tremble didn’t have the 2024 season that many predicted.—
Alex Zietlow and,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Women possessed by the gods were oracles, predicting the future in cryptic utterances.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Planned a year in advance, essentially right after the previous Oscars ceremony has wrapped, the glamorous precursor to Hollywood’s biggest night comes together thanks to a production team filled with hard-working, movie-loving craftspeople.—
Sharareh Drury,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The polyp stage is a precursor to the medusa stage, Folino-Rorem said, when jellyfish are more visible.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
This implies a very strong Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 2.1% (vs. 19.0% for S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
This doesn’t imply that diplomatic options are lost.—
Matthew Clary,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
When the discussion plunges as deep as Gary Mabbutt and Swap Shop, that’s a sure sign that the game is not as enticing as normal.—
Amy Lawrence,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 2025
-
As expected, the bass, middle, and treble all go to 11, but the master volume has a new special feature — an infinity sign.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2025
-
The Page Act prefigured the near-total ban on Chinese immigration to the U.S. seven years later, with the Exclusion Act of 1882—the country’s first federal law to restrict a group on the basis of race.—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share