noun
harbinger
HAR-bin-jer/ˈhɑːrbɪndʒər/
Someone or something that signals what is to come.
The first crocus through the snow is a harbinger of spring.
Etymology
The lodging-provider sense developed into someone sent ahead to arrange quarters. This advance role then supplied the figurative sense of something that announces what is coming.
In context
Alejandro Moreno scored two early goals. This was uh kind of a harbinger of things to come because Alejandro ends up being the all-time leading goal scorer for the franchise.
More examples
- The failed trial proved a harbinger of later difficulties.
- A robin became a welcome harbinger of spring.
- The essay treated the invention as a harbinger of social change.
Forms
harbinger · harbingers
Similar words
- forerunner
- A forerunner precedes another thing; a harbinger specifically signals that it is coming.
- portent
- A portent predicts an important, often ominous event; a harbinger may signal something welcome.