harbingers 1 of 2

noun

plural of harbinger
as in forerunners
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

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harbingers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harbinger
as in heralds
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harbingers
Noun
Related What were once blips on the modern music timeline now feel like harbingers of things to come for 2027. — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026 Culture and History Crows and ravens have similarly eerie reputations as spooky harbingers of death or danger. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Our results, just published in the journal Science, suggest that the 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niños – two of the strongest in recent memory – may be harbingers of more extreme events to come as the planet warms. — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 Then, after a series of eerie harbingers, the Platts discover the power and water in the house have shut off in the aftermath of an intense storm, and the atmosphere outside has turned unsettling and oddly tropical. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026 The world looked to the social elite as the ultimate harbingers of style trends and sophistication, giving them a cultural cache and, in turn, a sense of power. — Moises Mendez Ii, InStyle, 29 June 2026 If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026 In recent years, there have also been reports of vandalism and attacks on robotaxis and delivery robots, which some see as harbingers of a high-tech future not everyone asked for. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026 Along with asparagus, hearty leafy greens, peas, and ramps, garlic scapes are among the first harbingers of an entire season of garden fun ahead. — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbingers
  1. forerunners
  2. heralds
  3. precursors
  4. foreshadows
  5. signs
  6. predicts
  7. symptoms
  8. implies
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Verb
  • Royal Caribbean heralds this ship for setting a new standard across the cruise industry for its water and waste management programs—93% of fresh water is produced on board via reverse osmosis, crew members sort trash for recycling, and so on.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This week heralds a new appreciation rite for the discerning reader.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of heralds
Noun
  • Ng, who is Jo Henderson’s oncologist, noted that her previous research found that women who ate more ultraprocessed foods had a higher risk of colon polyps that can be precursors to cancer.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of precursors
Verb
  • Early on, there’s a moment that foreshadows what the real debate is (or should be).
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
  • While purple has come to represent Swift’s Speak Now era, during that London outing, Swift wore a lilac purple dress with flowers, which fans are convinced foreshadows the primary color and aesthetics of the singer’s 13th LP.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreshadows
Noun
  • Langley has an iron grip on the country music world at the moment, and that grip shows absolutely no signs of loosening.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Many have taken to the streets in towns and neighborhoods to protest the worsening situation, with roadblocks, tire-burning and residents holding up signs criticizing the government for not providing adequate solutions.
    — Catherine Ellis, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of signs
Verb
  • The methodology predicts how soil conditions interact with structural foundations during an earthquake.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The lonely runner conjecture predicts that, at some point, a runner will be maximally distant from all the other runners—the saddest, loneliest phase of the race.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of predicts
Noun
  • The participants with high-fever symptoms also tended to have greater gut inflammation than their peers.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Dermatologists can work alongside a patient's cancer team to help manage these symptoms, which may allow patients to stay more comfortable during treatment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of symptoms
Verb
  • This implies that even if the Federal Reserve acts again before year end, any movement would more likely represent a limited policy fine tuning grounded in inflation and employment data.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Cutter’s statement implies that similar to season one, season two could also end on a cliffhanger.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of implies

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Cite this Entry

“Harbingers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbingers. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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