harbinger

[hahr-bin-jer]

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.

verb (used with object)

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

harbinger

/ 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

verb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbinger¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbinger¹

C12: from Old French herbergere, from herberge lodging, from Old Saxon heriberga; compare Old High German heriberga army shelter; see _harry , _borough

Example Sentences

For cooks, the first harbinger of this season is the arrival of newly published dessert cookbooks.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They are also matter-of-fact, heralds of hard facts rather than harbingers of national guilt in a story to which we think we know the ending.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The small, rich country has at times proved a harbinger of broader trends across Europe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She’s no longer a difficult woman but a harbinger of wrath.

Read more on Salon

To others, however, OpenAI is something akin to tulip mania, the harbinger of the Great Depression, or the next dot-com bubble.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• omen 
• portent 
• precursor 

When To Use

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.