usher
noun
a person who escorts people to seats in a theater, church, etc.
usher
1 American
[uhsh-er]
/ ˈʌʃ ər /
noun
-
ushers
plural
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
ushers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ushered,
past participle, past
-
ushering
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
ushers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ushered,
past participle, past
-
ushering
present participle
Usher
2
American
[uhsh-er]
/ ˈʌʃ ər /
noun
usher
1
British
/ ˈʌʃə /
noun
-
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
verb
-
to conduct or escort, esp in a courteous or obsequious way
-
(usually foll by in) to be a precursor or herald (of)
Usher
2
British
/ ˈʌʃə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ushersimple
-
usherssimple
-
have usheredperfect
-
has usheredperfect
-
am usheringprogressive
-
are usheringprogressive
-
is usheringprogressive
-
have been usheringperfect progressive
-
has been usheringperfect progressive
Past
-
usheredsimple
-
had usheredperfect
-
was usheringprogressive
-
were usheringprogressive
-
had been usheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of usher
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing usher
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To cover rent on a tiny apartment, Mr. Stallone took low-level jobs, including a gig as an usher at a movie theater, where he got a free education in cinematic story arcs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
This band of rain and cloud will usher in much cooler air, setting the scene for a distinctly autumnal Wednesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Treasury yields declined early on Friday, helping to usher in a broad-based rally for stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026
With this new test, SpaceX hopes to usher in an "exciting new phase" of development that will include, among other things, tests of refueling the rocket in orbit.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
In the crowd, I catch one final glimpse of his figure as his bodyguards usher him down a hallway.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Sleater-Kinney and Phair’s co-headlining tour happens to follow a flood of co-headlining tours this year, from indie acts like Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman to big marquee names like Usher and Chris Brown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The tour comes after a rare period of rest and relaxation for Usher, who recently revealed to Architectural Digest that he had undergone surgery on his knee earlier this year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Brown is currently performing with Usher on their joint North American stadium tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
BBC correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, reporting from Jerusalem, examines the latest tensions over the key international shipping channel.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Luring visitors inside with refreshment was a little trick Clare had learned from Brickbane, who’d learned it from Po, who’d learned it from Eddifoot, who’d learned it from the Usher before him, and so on.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Parking is easy, food is good, ushers are nice, it has the potential to be great fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Political analyst Dr Levy Ndou said Hill-Lewis' election, alongside other young leaders in the party, "ushers in a new era" and could be a "very good thing" for the organisation.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
The tiny white and pink petals of cherry flowers, known as sakura, herald the start of spring in Japan, and full bloom ushers in a brief period of boisterous outdoor parties held by residents.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
The new year ushers in bigger paychecks for many workers — but those wage increases may not feel so impressive as prices also increase.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 6, 2026
She doesn’t stop talking as she takes the plate from my hand and ushers me into the house.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Still, I was curious to test their capabilities, so Pinkerton ushered a robot to my kitchen sink, where I had assembled a small selection of dishes that I deemed expendable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Measles patients are ushered to negative-pressure rooms to avoid infecting others in hospitals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
One when another newly confident leader, David Cameron, ushered in the modern Tory party on the conference stage in front of digitally produced green foliage and sunlight.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The condemned woman was "loudly snoring, clearly very alive" as the journalists were ushered out of the area, Chandler told CBS.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
One day in early April, during recess, Mrs. Butler ushered us outside on the playground and measured us for the Maypole dance.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
David Ellison’s megadeal combining Paramount and Warner Bros. closed Tuesday, ushering in a new era for Hollywood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The wait is over, and the Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center is preparing to reopen, ushering in a new era of performance, events and Black culture in Leimert Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
He’s uniquely responsible for ushering in an age of barbarism and will spend the rest of his life making amends in the fallen world he helped create.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Now he has been ejected from power by his own party and instead of ushering in a "decade of national renewal," as he had promised, he is contemplating a return to the back benches.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
But perhaps that was the lesson Clare had needed to learn: The wise Afterlife knew it would not be a difficult ushering and trusted that Clare could manage it.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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