harbinger

American  

[hahr-bin-jer] / ˈhɑr bɪn dʒər /

noun

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.

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; harbor ) + -iere -er ²

Example Sentences

For now, though, the weakness in bank stocks looks more like a temporary dislocation for some of the big banks and not a harbinger of economic doom and gloom.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Louise Adler, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors, said "I cannot be party to silencing writers" and that Abdel-Fattah's exclusion "weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation."

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

A harbinger of disaster is a replica of the harness-like 2,842 carat necklace from the “Diamond Necklace Affair” of 1785.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

ADP’s private-sector employment report will come out on Wednesday, two days ahead of the government’s data, but is not often seen as a reliable harbinger.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 6, 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

Related Words

• omen
• portent
• precursor