usher in

verb

ushered in; ushering in; ushers in

transitive verb

1

: to serve to bring into being

a discovery that ushered in a period of change

2

: 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

As computing technology advanced, microchips and CPUs ushered in the personal computing revolution, dramatically reducing size and cost while boosting performance. —Gerui Wang, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

If fully resourced and inclusive in design, public education can be a great equalizer and a tool for ushering in a true multiracial democracy. —Judith Browne Dianis, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025

Modernism ushered in new ways of representing people as well as new techniques and color palettes. —Emi Eleode, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025

The cases also ushered in a new age of harmful species introduction. —Ian Rose, JSTOR Daily, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1