herald 1 of 2

herald

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word herald distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of herald are forerunner, harbinger, and precursor. While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season
the herald of a new age in medicine

In what contexts can forerunner take the place of herald?

Although the words forerunner and herald have much in common, forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

When is it sensible to use precursor instead of herald?

While in some cases nearly identical to herald, precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

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 herald
Noun
Thy Kingdom Come’s entrance heralds 10 total appearances for the album’s tracks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025 The show’s camera language has slowly opened up to be more dynamic, more open to movement, more open to the change in society that Season 3 heralds. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
When Andrew pulled the car over to take pictures, the sun broke through the clouds in silvered streams, as if to herald the Epiphany. Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Leaders of other countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Georgia, Latvia, Norway, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia, Estonia, Spain, Austria and Albania also heralded the election result. Helen Regan, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for herald
Recent Examples of Synonyms for herald
Noun
  • For years, advocates for expanding child birth options in Kentucky have called on lawmakers to reduce barriers to establishing freestanding birthing centers.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
  • No president has ever fired a commissioner, and many commissioners have been outspoken advocates for free speech.
    Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Dash is also a harbinger of death.
    Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025
  • One harbinger of this is the fact that many of the contestants who star in this season of the show are either cringe, mean, or both.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Your character also returns to Italy, hiding under a blanket, which was a moment foreshadowed in the very beginning.
    Giana Levy, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Two years after the Golden State Valkyries paid $50 million as a league expansion fee, the three franchises set to enter into the league in 2028, 2029 and 2030 were announced with a corresponding $250 million expansion fee.
    Ben Pickman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
  • In late May, Ludwinski, who opened the pie shop in 2015 on Kercheval in Detroit’s West Village, announced a temporary closure that started June 8.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Eide and other proponents of expanding hospitalization believe the administration could do even more.
    Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Closure of the bike path to undertake this project has drawn opposition from cycling proponents and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.
    Benjamin Nathans September 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Let’s tie it all together by predicting that the first meeting of the season between Toronto and Philadelphia gets well and truly out of control … which by today’s standards means there are three fights in the game.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • High geopolitical volatility makes predicting the market’s future even more difficult than usual, a Reuters columnist argued.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Her early essays, written through a Marxian lens, proclaimed revolutionary socialism as justice’s true path.
    Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
  • This call to action, this call to love, this call for empathy, acknowledging each other's humanity both intra-community and for those who proclaim allyship.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Herald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/herald. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on herald

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!