as in herald
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 to herald
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 harbinger
Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
For now, homebuyers may find opportunities in new construction, but industry experts warn that this inventory surge could be a harbinger of economic turbulence ahead.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But now, the city is cautiously celebrating a dramatic downward trend of ghost guns and what could be a harbinger of progress in the fight against gun violence across the country.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
While big investments to mitigate climate change have been made by both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature, environmentalists continue sounding the alarm and point to this toasty winter as a harbinger of things to come should no further action be taken on that front.
—Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
For now, homebuyers may find opportunities in new construction, but industry experts warn that this inventory surge could be a harbinger of economic turbulence ahead.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But now, the city is cautiously celebrating a dramatic downward trend of ghost guns and what could be a harbinger of progress in the fight against gun violence across the country.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
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Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star as the titular quartet, heroes who must defend the Earth against Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a ravenous space god who's hungry to devour the entire planet with the help of his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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In Turkey and the Middle East, the birds crop up in folklore as heralds of spring, guides for pilgrims, and the first creatures, along with two doves, to disembark from Noah’s ark.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Stylistically, The Interrogation foreshadows the conventions that would characterize Wang’s later works.—
Philip Tinari,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
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As with previous outings, death is foreshadowed before flashing back one week earlier to the guests’ arrival at the elite five-star White Lotus resort.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In 1914, Frank Newman opened the Royal Theatre which was a forerunner to movie palaces in the city, a significant departure from nickelodeons.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
28 Feb. 2025
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Hammond, the school’s forerunner, won its fourth straight 3A sectional title in 2008.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Tremble didn’t have the 2024 season that many predicted.—
Alex Zietlow and,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2025
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Women possessed by the gods were oracles, predicting the future in cryptic utterances.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Planned a year in advance, essentially right after the previous Oscars ceremony has wrapped, the glamorous precursor to Hollywood’s biggest night comes together thanks to a production team filled with hard-working, movie-loving craftspeople.—
Sharareh Drury,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
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Will trusting those precursors blow up in my face again?—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Wells offers us a model of political resistance to racial injustice that implies the complex negotiation of principles when confronted with sustained pressures, in practice, by the institutions and norms that perpetuate white supremacy and racial oppression.—
Amy Gais / Made by History,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
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For the full year: Total revenue in the range of $40.5 billion to $40.9 billion, implying between 7% to 8% growth.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Officials have said no signs of foul play are apparent, and an autopsy found no external trauma to either Hackman or Arakawa.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC News,
28 Feb. 2025
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These signs include avoiding each other or keeping their distance, swiping, biting, dilated pupils, flattened ears, hissing, litter box guarding, urinating outside of the litter box, territorial aggression, and toy hoarding.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2025
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The Page Act prefigured the near-total ban on Chinese immigration to the U.S. seven years later, with the Exclusion Act of 1882—the country’s first federal law to restrict a group on the basis of race.—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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