Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner.
- transitive verb To signal the approach of; presage.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who provides or secures lodging for another; specifically, a royal officer who rode a day's journey in advance of the court when traveling, to provide lodgings and other accommodations.
- noun One who or that which precedes and gives notice of the coming of some other person or thing; a forerunner; a precursor.
- To precede; act as a harbinger to; serve as an omen or indication of; presage; announce.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when traveling, to provide and prepare lodgings.
- noun A forerunner; a precursor; a messenger.
- transitive verb To usher in; to be a harbinger of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A person or thing that
foreshadows orforetells the coming of someone or something. - verb transitive To
announce ; to be a harbinger of.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
- verb foreshadow or presage
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Examples
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Therefore, the JOLT survey is seen as a near - to mid-term harbinger of future hiring - and two straight months of declines sends a clear signal that joblessness won't be declining.
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Therefore, the JOLT survey is seen as a near - to mid-term harbinger of future hiring - and two straight months of declines sends a clear signal that joblessness won't be declining.
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In some ways, they said, the midterms were not as bleak a harbinger as some Democrats fear.
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In some ways, they said, the midterms were not as bleak a harbinger as some Democrats fear.
'Soul-searching' Obama aides: Democrats' midterm election losses a wake-up call
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The harbinger is the situation in Mexico, where the cartels are mounting armed attacks on officials, driving them to take repressive measures that are building resentment among ordinary citizens, many of whom are coming to see police and military as more of a threat than the cartelistas.
The Volokh Conspiracy » If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably a Federal Criminal:
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A harbinger was the first run of fish in the St. Lawrence River.
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A harbinger was the first run of fish in the St. Lawrence River.
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I have to say I've never been called a harbinger before.
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In what lobbyists are calling a harbinger of possible upheaval on Capitol Hill, many who make a living influencing government have gone from mostly shunning Democrats to aggressively recruiting them as lobbyists over the past six months or so.
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In what lobbyists are calling a harbinger of possible upheaval on Capitol Hill, many who make a living influencing government have gone from mostly shunning Democrats to aggressively recruiting them as lobbyists over the past six months or so.
Reading the election tea leaves: Lobbyists bet Democrats will win in November
Comments
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arby commented on the word harbinger
I don't care for this word because I always think it should be "harbringer".
May 25, 2007
uselessness commented on the word harbinger
I used to think the same thing, then I heard it pronounced and fell in love with it all over again. It's all about the soft "g" as in "HAR bin jer." It's fun on totally different grounds.
May 25, 2007
bilby commented on the word harbinger
The fame anon thurgh toun is born
How Alla kyng shal comen on pilgrymage,
By herbergeours that wenten hym biforn
- Geoffrey Chaucer, 'The Man of Law's Tale', 1386.
Rendering in modern English:
The news through all the town was carried,
How King Alla would come on pilgrimage,
By harbingers that went before him.
December 11, 2008