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.
Infantino sprinted across the stage and appeared to attempt to usher Trump out of frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Bonfires are lit annually in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland in July to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Over a century ago, when the Supreme Court helped usher in Jim Crow, Justice John Marshall Harlan took his colleagues to task for betraying the promise of Reconstruction.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
The once-hot semiconductor trade has seen a cooling in the last couple of weeks, which is not only likely to continue, but usher in a bumpy ride for the overall stock market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
She has retired from her most recent job as a bank secretary and has dedicated much of her time as a volunteer usher at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Brown is currently performing with Usher on their joint North American stadium tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Brown is performing with Usher on their joint North American stadium tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The joint venture’s roster exploded with hits from TLC, Usher, Outkast and Pink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Mane is an Atlanta-based artist who has collaborated with Usher, Doja Cat, Drake and other stars.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
But perhaps this was exactly why the Afterlife had chosen Gingersnipes to be the next Usher.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The formal declaration of Fujimori's win brings one of Peru's tightest leadership contests of all time to a close and ushers in the Andean nation's ninth president in a decade.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
If a new chair ushers in an era of turbulence, Deutsche thinks this could be extremely disruptive.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025
Mamardashvili's left foot ushers the ball more naturally to the right side now occupied by Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
Smook’s audience ranges from small children to grown adults, and highlights that a combination of nostalgia and authenticity of the analog craft creates a timeless experience that ushers in a wide audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
“Miss Chen,” one of the ushers calls to me, holding his hand out in my direction and waving.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The Jim Crow Era ushered in a new kind of slavery but eventually galvanized Congress to establish some of its most impactful legislation, in the VRA and the Civil Rights Act.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Read: SpaceX ushered in a ‘new era’ for investing in space.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
He took the extra time to brush his teeth and comb his hair, before putting on his blue jumpsuit and getting ushered into a van in handcuffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Under the veil of the Manhattan Project, this remote mesa became the site of a profound scientific pivot that ended a world war and ushered in the nuclear age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Then Amelia’s mom and brother come downstairs, and we’re ushered out the door and into the car.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
The president signed a raft of executive orders last year with an aim of ushering in a nuclear-energy “renaissance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
The video shows officers placing handcuffs on people, ushering them into cars and then placing them into detention centres.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
“Sunshine” was having yet another moment, ushering in a new sense of hope.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
“Hi,” he said, ushering me quickly inside and locking the door behind me again.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
