harbinger

American  

[hahr-bin-jer] / ˈhɑr bɪn dʒər /

noun

harbingers plural

1. a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald.

2. anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign.

   Frost is a harbinger of winter.

   Synonyms:

   indication, portent, precursor, forerunner, herald

3. a person sent in advance of troops, a royal train, etc., to provide or secure lodgings and other accommodations.

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verb (used with object)

1. to act as harbinger to; herald the coming of.

harbinger British  

/ ˈhɑːbɪndʒə /

noun

1. a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something; forerunner

2. obsolete a person sent in advance of a royal party or army to obtain lodgings for them

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verb

1. (tr) to announce the approach or arrival of

Usage

What does harbinger mean? Harbinger most commonly means an omen or a sign of something to come. Harbinger can also mean a person sent ahead to make people aware that someone else is coming (such as a king) or to make preparations (such as for an army), but these meanings are much less common. Harbinger can also be used as a verb meaning to act as a sign or omen. Example: These flowers are always the first to bloom, so people consider them harbingers of spring.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• harbingers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of harbinger

First recorded in 1125–75; late Middle English herbenger, nasalized variant of Middle English herbegere, dissimilated variant of Old French herberg(i)ere “host,” equivalent to herberg(ier) “to shelter” (from Germanic; see harbor) + -iere -er ²

Explanation

A harbinger is something that comes before and that shows what will follow in the future. The robin is a harbinger of spring — its presence means spring is coming soon. The appearance of a ghost is often thought of as a harbinger of death. Middle English herbergere is from Old French herbergeor, "host," from herberge, "camp, shelter," a word ultimately borrowed from a Germanic language.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harbinger harbingers

The educator aims to raise awareness among visitors about the plight of the animals, as fewer whale sightings is just a harbinger of larger negative changes to come to the marine ecosystem.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

For Bank of America’s chief equity strategist, this may be a harbinger of a “risk-off summer,” especially if it coincides with a yield-curve inversion and a breakdown in tech stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

"It's potentially significant. We don't know if it was a one-time event or a harbinger of broader things," Sacks said.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

As a harbinger of inflation, these unique government bonds could be signaling trouble again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Keep in mind that these results reflect only a child’s early test scores, a useful but fairly narrow measurement; poor testing in early childhood isn’t necessarily a great harbinger of future earnings, creativity, or happiness.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Here, the harbingers of the new golden age of the old-school American tavern.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Scorsese attributed the early days of Beatlemania as harbingers of an artistic change that not only impacted the 1960s, but that can be felt in the popular culture of the present day.

From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024

Washcloths are particularly controversial: “People get really riled up, like, ‘Washcloths are harbingers of bacteria,’ and ‘If you don’t use a washcloth, you’re dirty.’

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2024

The newly identified species are believed to be harbingers of more to come.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

But some harbingers horrify the old-timers: upscale restaurants, boutique windows displaying expensive designer jewelry, and the arrival of the first-ever chain store, a Ralph Lauren shop.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• omen
• portent
• precursor