as in forerunners
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 heralds
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 harbingers
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
These harbingers of doom turn out to be on to something, because shortly after, the couple are in an accident in which Jakob is killed.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
Shards of glass cut into my palms and shins, while the wind hurled sharp granules of ice into my face, harbingers of a storm that was already approaching from the west.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Eclipses are harbingers of change, often bringing intense shifts in perspective and catapulting us into new realities.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Few harbingers are more promising than the Swedish singer and producer Robyn.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2025
Pressure is also building in pockets of the labor market that are typically harbingers of broader stress.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025
The surfers, initially viewed by some as welcome curiosities and by others as nuisances, became harbingers of economic salvation through tourism, now the dominant industry, though still a relatively new one.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
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
Noun
If popular wine auction results are truly harbingers of pendulum swings in the world of wine, then Cabernet Franc is having a moment.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
These harbingers of doom turn out to be on to something, because shortly after, the couple are in an accident in which Jakob is killed.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
Shards of glass cut into my palms and shins, while the wind hurled sharp granules of ice into my face, harbingers of a storm that was already approaching from the west.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Eclipses are harbingers of change, often bringing intense shifts in perspective and catapulting us into new realities.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Few harbingers are more promising than the Swedish singer and producer Robyn.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2025
Pressure is also building in pockets of the labor market that are typically harbingers of broader stress.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025
The surfers, initially viewed by some as welcome curiosities and by others as nuisances, became harbingers of economic salvation through tourism, now the dominant industry, though still a relatively new one.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbingers
Noun
-
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
These were the forerunners of today’s robots.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Charlie Weimers, a lawmaker from the right-wing Sweden Democrats and strong proponent of harsher migration policies, said Thursday’s vote heralds a new era in the EU.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Not to mention, at least in my case, winter is kept busy with trips to warm gyms for basketball games, whereas March heralds the spring sports season, the return of outdoor sports and bracing against the elements at baseball games.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In March, state media reported that China arrested seven people in an operation targeting traffickers of fentanyl precursors, according to the Reuters news agency.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Such engravings, which depict the wackily maximalist style à la mode, including oodles of feathers and furbelows, were, in essence, early precursors to modern fashion magazines.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With almost three years left in his final term, Trump’s absence from CPAC foreshadows his eventual departure as leader of the GOP and the conservative movement, a role typically served by the president or the party’s leading contender for the White House.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr.
Political,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The book wonderfully foreshadows one of its best moments, but the film doesn’t do this at all, setting up the action with a few lines of dialog instead.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Multiple street signs were also damaged during the celebration.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
University City is filled with yellow rezoning signs and cleared land seemingly on every corner.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Despite this, McClain predicts that gas prices could drop 5 to 10 cents by the middle of next week.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
AlphaFold, which predicts three-dimensional, bioactive forms of a protein, has millions of sequences and a couple of hundred thousand structures.—
Benjamin P. Brown,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The most common adverse events were falls and muscle weakness, which overlap with ALS symptoms.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The figure implies a 58% revenue surge in March alone.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
That implies roughly 60% downside from Thursday’s close.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harbingers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbingers. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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