as in herald
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
her father's successful job interview was seen as a harbinger of better times to come
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to herald
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic recession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harbinger
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Opponents of the bill, though, worry that the tax will be viewed as a harbinger of a soak-the-rich mentality among California voters that makes the state a risky place to do business.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Last year, for example, Louis Vuitton introduced a jump hour watch in its Tambour line with a beguiling guichet display that turned out to be a harbinger of jump hour models to come.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Infectious disease experts warn that one year of sustained measles transmission is a harbinger of worse developments to come.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
The move broke a string of three straight cuts and could be a harbinger of a central bank not of a mind to ease again anytime soon.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Opponents of the bill, though, worry that the tax will be viewed as a harbinger of a soak-the-rich mentality among California voters that makes the state a risky place to do business.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Last year, for example, Louis Vuitton introduced a jump hour watch in its Tambour line with a beguiling guichet display that turned out to be a harbinger of jump hour models to come.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Infectious disease experts warn that one year of sustained measles transmission is a harbinger of worse developments to come.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
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New studies, however, clearly show that medical marijuana is not nearly as effective as the pro-marijuana lobby heralds.—
Mike Gimbel,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Jan. 2026
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Looking for bathroom storage ideas to herald in a loo refresh?—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But given the massive investments well over 150 public companies have made in Bitcoin, the token’s recent downturn could indeed foreshadow difficult days ahead as investors desperately try to cut their losses.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Bryce Huff trade in the 2025 offseason foreshadowed the shortfall at edge rusher that led to the midseason acquisition of Jaelan Phillips.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sheila Bridges also comes to mind as such a forerunner for our community, embracing the beauty of our heritage and culture.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
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The forerunner of British Invasion took the summit of American entertainment, which was a huge deal across generations.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Longitudinal studies across diverse populations will be needed to assess whether shifts in the oral microbiome can predict future weight gain, insulin resistance, or cardiometabolic decline, and perhaps most excitingly, whether modifying one's oral ecosystem alters systemic metabolic markers.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
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Huntington predicted that a new conflict would rage after the demise of Communism.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Commercial prediction markets have resisted efforts by states to classify and regulate them as gambling companies, insisting that they — like their precursor in Iowa — should be overseen by federal regulators.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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There’s a direct line from Licklider’s work to ARPANET, a precursor to the internet and World Wide Web, through the work of Robert Taylor, Doug Engelbart, Ted Nelson, and Tim Berners-Lee.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Seattle is currently +800 (8-to-1) to win a second straight title, implying a roughly 11 percent chance of a repeat.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bank's forecast implies upside of 98% from Friday's close.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The fasten-seatbelt sign was on and the flight attendants were performing final cabin checks when the plane suddenly dropped, then violently pitched back up.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Tom pulled up a Wikipedia page on his laptop called WikiProject AI Cleanup, and another on how to spot signs of AI writing.—
Imogen West-Knights,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Military action in Venezuela today without allies may prefigure action tomorrow against allies—for example, to invade and annex Greenland.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
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Chess by telegraph also prefigured chess played through other means of telecommunications.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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