herald

[ her-uhld ]

/ ˈhɛr əld /

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See synonyms for: herald / heralded / heralding on Thesaurus.com

noun

(formerly) a royal or official messenger, especially one representing a monarch in an ambassadorial capacity during wartime.

a person or thing that precedes or comes before; forerunner; harbinger: the returning swallows, those heralds of spring.

a person or thing that proclaims or announces: A good newspaper should be a herald of truth.

(in the Middle Ages) an officer who arranged tournaments and other functions, announced challenges, marshaled combatants, etc., and who was later employed also to arrange processions, funerals, etc., and to regulate the use of armorial bearings.

an official intermediate in rank between a king-of-arms and a pursuivant, in the Heralds' College in England or the Heralds' Office in Scotland.

verb (used with object)

to give news or tidings of; announce; proclaim: a publicity campaign to herald a new film.

to indicate or signal the coming of; usher in.

OTHER WORDS FOR herald

7 publicize, ballyhoo, tout.

See synonyms for herald on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of herald

1300–50; Middle English herau(l)d<Old French herau(l)t<Frankish *heriwald, equivalent to *heri army + *wald commander (see wield). Compare name Harold

Words nearby herald

Heraclitean, Heracliteanism, Heraclitus, Heraclius, Herakleion, herald, heralded, heraldic, herald moth, heraldry, Heralds' College

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use herald in a sentence

A spokesman for Ericksen told the Herald that month that he was unsure whether the state senator was vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Washington state senator Doug Ericksen dies after battling covid-19|Annabelle Timsit|December 19, 2021|Washington Post
The Herald also reported that MP Jan Tinetti, minister of internal affairs, minister for women, and associate minister of education noted that it was a “a proud day in Aotearoa’s history”.
New Zealand MPs pass self-ID bill for trans people|Brody Levesque|December 10, 2021|Washington Blade
In an interview with the Herald, he also called the audit a blueprint for reform.
“These Findings Boggle My Mind”: Audit Rips Apart Florida Program Created to Aid Brain-Damaged Kids|by Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang, Miami Herald|October 22, 2021|ProPublica
He saw NuWeld as a herald of the “millions of millions of new high-paying jobs” that fracking could bring.
The fracking boom is over. Where did all the jobs go?|Colin Jerolmack|July 1, 2021|MIT Technology Review

The New Zealand Herald later revealed that the country had secretly granted Thiel full citizenship.
Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank|by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler|June 24, 2021|ProPublica
Check: “This atom smashing business is going to herald the final victory of the machine.”
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Herald asked her to be a freelance reporter, but not because of her notorious status.
Amanda Knox, Cub Reporter: The Convicted Murderer Is Now Writing Theater Reviews for a Small Seattle Paper|Justin Miller|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the reporters from New York was Herbert Bayard Swope, then of the Herald.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Foss occasionally supplied pulpits in Baltimore and its suburbs, to the derision of the Herald agnostics.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A smaller headline in the Herald Tribune stated that Black September, headed by Ali Salameh, had taken credit for the operation.
Mossad’s Greatest Female Assassin: An Excerpt From ‘Sylvia Rafael’|Ram Oren,   Moti Kfir|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ike had read the "Herald," with all about "the great prize fight" in it, and had become entirely carried away with it.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The announcements of the meets in this and adjoining counties appear regularly in the Midland Counties' Herald.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Voices sounded behind him, and with them a great glare of ruddy light came to herald the arrival of his men.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Therefore the Herald is going to print that wild story of Hunt's to-night and comment upon the audacity of the scheme.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Then a herald made sure that neither knight had fastened himself to his saddle.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for herald

herald

/ (ˈhɛrəld) /

noun

a person who announces important news
(as modifier)herald angels

often literary a forerunner; harbinger

the intermediate rank of heraldic officer, between king-of-arms and pursuivant

(in the Middle Ages) an official at a tournament

verb (tr)

to announce publicly

to precede or usher in

Word Origin for herald

C14: from Old French herault, of Germanic origin; compare Old English here war; see wield

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

herald

OTHER WORDS FOR herald

Origin of herald

Words nearby herald

Words related to herald

How to use herald in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for herald

Word Origin for herald