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.
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.
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
to conduct or escort, esp in a courteous or obsequious way
(usually foll by in) to be a precursor or herald (of)
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Infantino sprinted across the stage and appeared to attempt to usher Trump out of frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland in July to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Over a century ago, when the Supreme Court helped usher in Jim Crow, Justice John Marshall Harlan took his colleagues to task for betraying the promise of Reconstruction.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
The once-hot semiconductor trade has seen a cooling in the last couple of weeks, which is not only likely to continue, but usher in a bumpy ride for the overall stock market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Fixers, as they’re called, usher in what many refer to as the Golden Age of Humanity.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Brown is performing with Usher on their joint North American stadium tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Usher says the non-financial measures have helped rebuild her pride in her service.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The joint venture’s roster exploded with hits from TLC, Usher, Outkast and Pink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Usher started his career in the 1990s and has released nine studio albums, most recently 2024’s “Coming Home.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
It was not as if he’d thought he would be an Usher forever.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The formal declaration of Fujimori's win brings one of Peru's tightest leadership contests of all time to a close and ushers in the Andean nation's ninth president in a decade.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
It was a blur of champagne, full sized In-N-Out cheeseburgers, chic ushers wearing Dior uniforms with snug grey sweaters and slacks that pooled perfectly at the leg.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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
If a new chair ushers in an era of turbulence, Deutsche thinks this could be extremely disruptive.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025
I try to avoid the crowd nearby, but Rei practically ushers us toward them.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
The Jim Crow Era ushered in a new kind of slavery but eventually galvanized Congress to establish some of its most impactful legislation, in the VRA and the Civil Rights Act.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Read on: SpaceX ushered in a ‘new era’ for investing in space.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
He took the extra time to brush his teeth and comb his hair, before putting on his blue jumpsuit and getting ushered into a van in handcuffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
When guards ushered me into a van last Friday, I thought they were taking me to my trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
One day in early April, during recess, Mrs. Butler ushered us outside on the playground and measured us for the Maypole dance.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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
“Sunshine” was having yet another moment, ushering in a new sense of hope.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces calls for his departure from over 80 Labour Party lawmakers, potentially ushering in the U.K.’s sixth prime minister in seven years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Every Friday night, Derek and many other Jews across the world mark the end of the week by ushering in the start of the Jewish sabbath - Shabbat.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
He’d given every ounce of his time and energy to ushering, to his mushrooms, to Deadwood.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
