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herald

[ her-uhld ]
/ ˈhɛr əld /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR herald ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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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, heraldic, herald moth, heraldry, Heralds' College, Heralds' Office
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to herald

adviser, harbinger, bearer, courier, reporter, precursor, prophet, signal, token, sign, runner, forerunner, indication, crier, outrider, publicize, tout, ballyhoo, show, trumpet

Example sentences from the Web for herald

British Dictionary definitions for herald

herald
/ (ˈhɛrəld) /

noun

  1. a person who announces important news
  2. (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