English Dictionary

Definition of “herald”

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herald (ˈhɛrəld)

Definitions

noun

1. a person who announces important news
2. ((as modifier) ⇒ herald angels
often literary a forerunner; harbinger
the intermediate rank of heraldic officer, between king-of-arms and pursuivant
(in the Middle Ages) an official at a tournament

verb (tr)

to announce publicly
to precede or usher in

Word Origin

C14: from Old French herault, of Germanic origin; compare Old English here war; see wield

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= indicate, promise, precede, pave the way usher in, harbinger, presage, portend, foretoken,

= announce, publish, advertise, proclaim, broadcast, trumpet, publicize,

= forerunner, sign, signal, indication, token, omen, precursor, harbinger,

= messenger, courier, proclaimer, announcer, crier, town crier, bearer of tidings

Usage examples

He was starting to get better bit by bit, his anger being the herald of this.
Vanessa Jones, THE KINDEST USE A KNIFE (2002)
Last week's policy disappointed industry since it did not herald a cut in interest rates.
India Today (1999)
So electing Senator John Kerry president would herald an unmitigated disaster.
The Australian (2004)
However he warned that large job losses would herald a crash.
Sun, News of the World (2002)
It would herald the commencement of a lifelong love affair with this particular corner of England.
Joseph Pearce, OLD THUNDER: A Life of Hilaire Belloc (2002)

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