herald

American  

[her-uhld] / ˈhɛr əld /

noun

1. (formerly) a royal or official messenger, especially one representing a monarch in an ambassadorial capacity during wartime.

2. a person or thing that precedes or comes before; forerunner; harbinger.

   the returning swallows, those heralds of spring.

3. a person or thing that proclaims or announces.

   A good newspaper should be a herald of truth.

4. (in the Middle Ages) an officer who arranged tournaments and other functions, announced challenges, marshaled combatants, etc., and who was later employed also to arrange processions, funerals, etc., and to regulate the use of armorial bearings.

5. an official intermediate in rank between a king-of-arms and a pursuivant, in the Heralds' College in England or the Heralds' Office in Scotland.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give news or tidings of; announce; proclaim.

   a publicity campaign to herald a new film.

2. to indicate or signal the coming of; usher in.

   Synonyms:

   tout, ballyhoo, publicize

herald British  

/ ˈhɛrəld /

noun

1. 1. a person who announces important news

   2. ( as modifier )

      herald angels

2. literary a forerunner; harbinger

3. the intermediate rank of heraldic officer, between king-of-arms and pursuivant

4. (in the Middle Ages) an official at a tournament

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verb

1. to announce publicly

2. to precede or usher in

Etymology

Origin of herald

1300–50; Middle English herau ( l ) d < Old French herau ( l ) t < Frankish *heriwald, equivalent to *heri army + *wald commander ( wield ). Compare name Harold

Example Sentences

"This investment will further cement Port Talbot as a hub of the industries of the future and heralds the next chapter of jobs and investment to the area."

From BBC

Countertenor Alexander Chance was careful and effective as the herald Lichas who supplies some narrative glue—he recounts the horror of Hercules burning to death in the poisoned robe.

From The Wall Street Journal

It heralded decades of co-operation, during which the two men developed a technique based on quantum physics - the behaviour of particles of matter, including electrons and photons.

From BBC

The locals' tradition of heralding home the returnees, many of whom were detained for years, started with a small group of five or six people.

From Barron's

Now “Bloomberg is cooked,” some posters argued as they heralded the arrival of a newly released AI tool from startup Perplexity.

From The Wall Street Journal