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
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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
Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
For now, homebuyers may find opportunities in new construction, but industry experts warn that this inventory surge could be a harbinger of economic turbulence ahead.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But now, the city is cautiously celebrating a dramatic downward trend of ghost guns and what could be a harbinger of progress in the fight against gun violence across the country.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Noun
While big investments to mitigate climate change have been made by both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature, environmentalists continue sounding the alarm and point to this toasty winter as a harbinger of things to come should no further action be taken on that front.
—Mohamaed Ibrahim, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
But both contenders prove to be imperfect harbingers of progress.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
For now, homebuyers may find opportunities in new construction, but industry experts warn that this inventory surge could be a harbinger of economic turbulence ahead.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
But now, the city is cautiously celebrating a dramatic downward trend of ghost guns and what could be a harbinger of progress in the fight against gun violence across the country.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harbinger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbinger
Noun
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Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star as the titular quartet, heroes who must defend the Earth against Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a ravenous space god who's hungry to devour the entire planet with the help of his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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In Turkey and the Middle East, the birds crop up in folklore as heralds of spring, guides for pilgrims, and the first creatures, along with two doves, to disembark from Noah’s ark.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Specifically, the credits now foreshadow particular moments that emerge over the course of the season: Look no further than the moment when innie Mark hobbles about a hilly grassland, which turns to be an actual milieu for a scene anchored by Gwendoline Christie in episode three.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2025
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The ending is foreshadowed throughout the movie, as disturbing behavior from Annie's kids and herself eventually turns fatal.—
Erica Marrison,
People.com,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Equally, it was never considered by bid organizers to be a forerunner in bids to host the 2022 and 2026 men’s World Cup, the latter of which was successful and will be shared next year with Canada and Mexico.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
6 Feb. 2025
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While Cal State Fullerton isn’t the first campus to launch a Project Rebound program, the university has been among the forerunners in its expansion, becoming a model for Project Rebound programs at the other universities in the CSU system.—
Lou Ponsi,
Orange County Register,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Oregon, Virginia, Nevada and Louisiana are among the states predicted by the KFF to experience the biggest drop in Medicaid enrolment should the cuts happen, as the map above shows.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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Minimizing that risk sometimes allowed U.S. adversaries to predict and even dictate the tempo of these interactions.—
HAL BRANDS,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Since the inception of the SAG Awards in 1994, only six actors have won the Oscar with SAG as their sole major precursor — and none of them were in lead actor.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
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One of Sinaloa’s most lucrative businesses in recent years has been the production of fentanyl, blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Sinaloa imports the precursor chemicals from China, produces the drug and then smuggles it across the border.—
Ellen Knickmeyer and Maria Verza,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Wells offers us a model of political resistance to racial injustice that implies the complex negotiation of principles when confronted with sustained pressures, in practice, by the institutions and norms that perpetuate white supremacy and racial oppression.—
Amy Gais / Made by History,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
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For the full year: Total revenue in the range of $40.5 billion to $40.9 billion, implying between 7% to 8% growth.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Then, when Mars moved into your sign, emotional layers resurfaced.—
Colin Bedell,
Them,
28 Feb. 2025
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That includes preliminary trade data showing a record surge of goods imported into the U.S. — a sign of businesses bringing things in early to get ahead of the administration's tariff threats.—
Axios,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen.—
John Wenzel,
The Denver Post,
31 Jan. 2025
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The Page Act prefigured the near-total ban on Chinese immigration to the U.S. seven years later, with the Exclusion Act of 1882—the country’s first federal law to restrict a group on the basis of race.—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbinger. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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