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.
At his swearing in he promised to usher in a "reform-oriented" era, with plans to change how much the Fed communicates and to reduce the size of its balance sheet.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
One reason micro-retreats suit me so well is that they usher me into a flow state deeper than anything I can achieve in everyday life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
It’s almost time for the S&P 500’s quarterly shake-up, which could usher Marvell Technology and several other stocks into the benchmark index.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
In Section 533 of Angel Stadium, high above the foul pole in right field, where fans enjoying pretzels and helmet nachos wore Angels caps and Mike Trout shirts, a kindly usher approached.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
From his sunny observation post on the woodpile, the cat had watched Mackenzie cross the yard and usher the two dogs into a warm, sweet-smelling stable, shutting the door carefully behind him.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
