usher
noun
a person who escorts people to seats in a theater, church, etc.
usher
1 American
[uhsh-er]
/ ˈʌʃ ər /
noun
-
ushers
plural
-
a person who escorts people to seats in a theater, church, etc.
-
a person acting as an official doorkeeper, as in a courtroom or legislative chamber.
-
a male attendant of a bridegroom at a wedding.
-
an officer whose business it is to introduce strangers or to walk before a person of rank.
-
British Archaic. a subordinate teacher or an assistant in a school.
verb (used with object)
-
ushers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ushered,
past participle, past
-
ushering
present participle
-
to act as an usher to; lead, introduce, or conduct.
She ushered them to their seats.
-
to attend or bring at the coming or beginning; precede or herald (usually followed byin ).
to usher in the new theater season.
verb (used without object)
-
ushers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ushered,
past participle, past
-
ushering
present participle
Usher
2
American
[uhsh-er]
/ ˈʌʃ ər /
noun
usher
1
British
/ ˈʌʃə /
noun
-
an official who shows people to their seats, as in a church or theatre
-
a person who acts as doorkeeper, esp in a court of law
-
(in England) a minor official charged with maintaining order in a court of law
-
an officer responsible for preceding persons of rank in a procession or introducing strangers at formal functions
-
obsolete a teacher
verb
-
to conduct or escort, esp in a courteous or obsequious way
-
(usually foll by in) to be a precursor or herald (of)
Usher
2
British
/ ˈʌʃə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ushersimple
-
usherssimple
-
have usheredperfect
-
has usheredperfect
-
am usheringprogressive
-
are usheringprogressive
-
is usheringprogressive
-
have been usheringperfect progressive
-
has been usheringperfect progressive
Past
-
usheredsimple
-
had usheredperfect
-
was usheringprogressive
-
were usheringprogressive
-
had been usheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of usher
1350–1400; Middle English uscher doorkeeper < Anglo-French usser, Old French ( h ) uissier doorman, officer of justice < Vulgar Latin *ustiārius, equivalent to Latin ōsti ( um ) door + -ārius -ary; see -er 2
Explanation
That guy who guided you to your seat? He's called an usher. You most often see ushers at movie theaters and weddings. An usher is someone with the job of helping people find their seats. At the movies, ushers take your tickets and tell you where to go. At some theaters and sports venues, the ushers might actually take you to your seat — they usher you there. If you're an usher in a wedding party, it's your job to walk guests down the aisle and to their seats. The doorkeeper at a courtroom or legislative chamber is called an usher, too.
Vocabulary lists containing usher
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It will alter streaming for millions, usher in a new chapter in the film and TV industry, and leave one of the biggest US news outlets, CNN, in uncertain territory.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Treasury yields declined early on Friday, helping to usher in a broad-based rally for stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
With this new test, SpaceX hopes to usher in an "exciting new phase" of development that will include, among other things, tests of refueling the rocket in orbit.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
In a setback for the crypto industry, a bill that would have helped usher digital assets into the mainstream financial system failed to advance in Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Milo’s mother pointed again, then passed the usher and continued up the aisle.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Usher was not on stage when either honor was presented.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Delevingne sisters decorated the 1955-midcentury property together before handing the keys over to Usher.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Brown is currently performing with Usher on their joint North American stadium tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Karen Usher was 21 when she joined the Royal Air Force in 1990, and says years of feeling forced to hide her sexuality left her suffering a "mini-breakdown" while deployed in Italy.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
But perhaps this was exactly why the Afterlife had chosen Gingersnipes to be the next Usher.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The couple went from gate to gate, Knight said, asking ushers and staff where the new section was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Parking is easy, food is good, ushers are nice, it has the potential to be great fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Political analyst Dr Levy Ndou said Hill-Lewis' election, alongside other young leaders in the party, "ushers in a new era" and could be a "very good thing" for the organisation.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
The tiny white and pink petals of cherry flowers, known as sakura, herald the start of spring in Japan, and full bloom ushers in a brief period of boisterous outdoor parties held by residents.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
She ushers them through intersections and herds them onto streetcars until Bailey begins to feel like one of his sheep.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Still, I was curious to test their capabilities, so Pinkerton ushered a robot to my kitchen sink, where I had assembled a small selection of dishes that I deemed expendable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
One when another newly confident leader, David Cameron, ushered in the modern Tory party on the conference stage in front of digitally produced green foliage and sunlight.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The condemned woman was "loudly snoring, clearly very alive" as the journalists were ushered out of the area, Chandler told CBS.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Using their invisible arms, they ushered the girl to shelves lined with art, history and photography books, teaching Rosales how to appreciate the eerie, the tragic, the mysterious, the romantic, the ephemeral and the hard-to-find.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The vet lady ushered us into an exam room.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Carter is widely credited with ushering the “Born This Way” singer into superstardom in the aughts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Free, fast internet is finally rolling out on planes around the world, ushering in a new era of in-flight connectivity—and in-flight annoyance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Many considered Winkleman, 54, to be chat show emperor Graham Norton's presumptive successor - not least because he seemed to be ushering her through himself.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
He’s uniquely responsible for ushering in an age of barbarism and will spend the rest of his life making amends in the fallen world he helped create.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mum was standing up and holding Kat by the elbow and ushering us back into the hallway.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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