usher in

verb

ushered in; ushering in; ushers in

transitive verb

: to serve to bring into being

a discovery that ushered in a period of change

: to mark or observe the beginning of

ushered in the new year with merrymaking

Choose the Right Synonym for usher in

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation.

begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable.

begin, opposed to end, is the most general.

begin a trip

began dancing

start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.

the work started slowly

commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.

commence firing

commenced a conversation

initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.

initiated diplomatic contacts

inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.

the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine

usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.

ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of usher in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The mid-20th century also ushered in improvements in heart disease treatments. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 But these active, sensitive, and polarizing debates are also at risk of being used as a kind of Trojan horse to usher in different kinds of sweeping changes and rewritings. — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 The energy price spike ushered in by the Iran war left many Americans off guard as inflation remains persistent and higher costs ding consumer sentiment. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 For years, business leaders from Jamie Dimon to Elon Musk have predicted that AI could usher in shorter workweeks—or even a future where people don’t need to work at all. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for usher in

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of usher in was circa 1600

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

usherette

usher in

usherless

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Usher in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usher%20in. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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usher in

verb

Examples of usher in in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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