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
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Recent Examples of harbinger
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Every company’s leadership situation is different, and the question is whether these CEO exits stand alone—or are the harbinger of a broader trend.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
But that story was a harbinger of what was to come.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Another harbinger is that the annual ski movies are coming soon to a theater or brewpub near you.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
Keep an eye on these state elections Could these statewide elections be harbingers of what's to come in the 2026 midterms?
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Every company’s leadership situation is different, and the question is whether these CEO exits stand alone—or are the harbinger of a broader trend.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
But that story was a harbinger of what was to come.
—Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Another harbinger is that the annual ski movies are coming soon to a theater or brewpub near you.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
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The indie feature heralds from Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
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Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma put down the supe uprising, but then psychotic fascist Homelander showed up to condemn them as villains and herald the murderous Cate and Sam as top students and potential recruits for the thoroughly corrupt Seven.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those detours foreshadowed Paris, where the styling again backs away from surface-level pink and redistributes it to the interior.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Virginia gubernatorial contests foreshadowed Republican wins in 1993, 2009, and 2021.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Park cinema launched under the ownership of Cineplex Odeon Cinemas, a forerunner of Cineplex and today an operator of multiplexes and out of home destinations.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lucas predicted after the season-opening win over Jacksonville that Reneau would emerge as the team’s leading scorer this season.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Nov. 2025
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City officials have struggled to predict water availability in the recent past, especially as the ongoing drought on the Colorado River has continued delivering terrible water years.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Nya Lödöse was an important precursor to modern-day Gothenburg, located in the city’s eastern part between 1473 and 1624.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
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Bogle introduced the first index fund for everyday investors, a precursor to the Vanguard 500.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Some autoimmune diseases also can remit on their own for reasons that remain unclear, implying that not every patient may require lifelong therapy.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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This tells us that if P being true implies Q being true, then Q being false implies P also must be false.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Trade discussions dominated those meetings, but there were signs of growing tensions over Beijing’s surging conventional and nuclear arsenal.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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However, unlike last season, there was no sign to those within the Capitals that their captain was feeling the pressure of scoring another historic goal.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Tragedy strikes many times in this decades-spanning story, in many forms, but the defining event of Grainier’s life sees his home burned to the ground, an event that eerily prefigures the LA fires of early 2025.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
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The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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