harbinger
harbinger
Definition
har·bin·ger (här′bin jər)
noun
- Historical an advance representative of an army or royal party, who arranged for lodging, entertainment, etc.
- a person or thing that comes before to announce or give an indication of what follows; herald
Etymology: ME herbergeour (with intrusive -n-) < OFr herbergeor, provider of lodging < herberge, a shelter < Frank (or OHG) heriberga, shelter for soldiers < heri, army (see harry) + berga, a shelter < bergan, to protect: see bury
transitive verb
to serve as harbinger of
harbinger
Synonyms
harbinger
Usage Examples
Preposition: of
- doom: To make matters worse, a terrifying figure now emerges from the sea like a harbinger of doom.
- death: A white pigeon was also a harbinger of death.
- war: Our friend the television is the harbinger of war in this drama.
- future: Here in Swansea, I saw the new £ 200 million waterfront regeneration, harbinger of a bright future for Wales.
- thing: An effect that would have been beyond the scope of the previous series and is a harbinger of things to come.
- change: This figure is 10 times the global rate, a harbinger of climate change.
Converse of object
- become: As that country had been a major customer, the Tariff soon became the harbinger of doom for much of the South Wales industry.
- consider: This book may well be considered the harbinger of the next generation of community studies.
Adjective modifier
- early: An autumnal breeze, an early harbinger of winter, skittered high and forlorn among the loblolly pines.
- different: Here in the great metropolis, we rely on different harbingers to mark the turn of the seasons.
- good: Do not worry, it merely deems to serve as a good harbinger announcing a cutting edge selection of Dark art and Light art.
Browse dictionary entries near harbinger
- Harbin
- harassment
- harass
- Harare
- harangue
- Harald
- hara-kiri
- haptoglobin
- haptic
- hapten
- harbor
- harbor master
- harbor seal
- harborage
- harbour
- hard
- hard and fast
- hard-ass
- hard-bitten
- hard-boiled
