Harbinger Meaning and Usage

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Harbinger Meaning:

noun
- one that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner.

verb
- foreshadow or presage
- to act as harbinger to; herald the coming of.

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Usage examples:

frost is a harbinger of winter.
harbinger of doom.
harbinger of a new dawn.

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Use Harbinger in a sentence:

1. "And while lower prices could mean an opportunity for investors and some savings for American consumers, such reductions could also be a harbinger of deflation."

2. J P Morgan has posted modest profits for the quarter. This seems to be a harbinger for far better things to come.

3. This book may well be considered the harbinger of the next generation of community studies.

4. The damage the initial wind gusts did to the seaside cafe's table umbrellas was a harbinger of the hurricane damage to follow.

5. This misfortune might prove a harbinger of worse things to come.

6. Indeed, the international financial market is portraying China's perceived recovery as a harbinger for global recovery.

7. Thick fur on a wooly worm is a harbinger of a cold winter.


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Harbinger Synonyms:

Noun.
forerunner, predecessor, precursor, indicant, indication, sign, messenger, omen, portent, foretoken, augury.

Verb.
annunciate, foretell, herald, announce, tell.

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Harbinger Antonyms:

Noun.
follower, supporter, successor, disciple, descendant.

Verb.
hide, withhold.

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Some more examples:

1. The ominous clouds were harbingers of the tornado.

2. The bright glow on the Western horizon might not be the harbinger of a new dawn; it might very well be the red flames of a huge funeral pyre…!!!

3. To make matters worse, a terrifying figure now emerges from the sea like a harbinger of doom.

With Birds as harbingers….!!!

4. The albatross following the ship was feared by the superstitious sailors as a harbinger of doom.

5. The crowing cock is the harbinger of dawn.

6. The geese flying south is a harbinger of the weather’s turning cold.

7. The robin is a harbinger of spring.

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Word Origin & History:

From herbengar, "one sent ahead to arrange lodgings" (for a monarch, an army, etc.), which inturn comes from Medieval English. herberger which is to "provider of shelter, innkeeper"

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