harbinger Hear it!

harbinger Definition

har·bin·ger (härbin jər)

noun

  1. Historical an advance representative of an army or royal party, who arranged for lodging, entertainment, etc.
  2. 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

n.

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

  1. Harbin
  2. harassment
  3. harass
  4. Harare
  5. harangue
  6. Harald
  7. hara-kiri
  8. haptoglobin
  9. haptic
  10. hapten
  1. harbor
  2. harbor master
  3. harbor seal
  4. harborage
  5. harbour
  6. hard
  7. hard and fast
  8. hard-ass
  9. hard-bitten
  10. hard-boiled