herald

To announce something or show that it is about to happen.

• The flowers herald spring.
• Trumpets heralded the king's arrival.
• This discovery could herald a new era in medicine.

Similar words: announce, signal, foretell

Common phrases: herald a change, herald a beginning, herald someone's arrival

To praise or welcome something with great excitement.

• The press heralded the discovery.
• Her first novel was heralded as a masterpiece.
• Fans heralded his return with great excitement.

How to use it: herald someone/something as something (Critics heralded her as a major new talent.)

Similar words: hail, acclaim, celebrate

Opposites: condemn

Common phrases: herald as something, widely herald, herald a breakthrough

A person or thing that announces or shows that something is coming soon.

• The birds were heralds of spring.
• They saw the invention as a herald of change.
• The first warm breeze was a herald of summer.

How to use it: a herald of something (The first flowers are a herald of spring.)

Similar words: harbinger, forerunner, messenger

Common phrases: herald of spring, herald of change, herald of something

A messenger who publicly announces important news, especially for a king or queen.

• The herald brought news from the king.
• A royal herald read the order aloud.
• The heralds rode ahead of the queen.

Similar words: messenger, announcer

Common phrases: royal herald, herald announces something, king's herald