What does harbinger mean?
Word: Harbinger
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Harbinger means something or someone that shows a particular event or change is on its way.
Synonyms: forerunner
How do you spell harbinger?
Syllables: har - bin - ger
Tricky part: The g is soft, as in ginger, and pupils who go by the sound write harbinjer.
Watch out for: harbinjer, harbingger
Memory tip: Think of the spice: the g in this word is the soft g of ginger.
Harbinger in a sentence
Example 1: Swallows are a harbinger of spring in many parts of Europe.
Example 2: A row of new umbrellas in the shop window is our favourite harbinger of the monsoon.
Example 3: A sudden drop in air pressure can be a harbinger of changing weather.
Fun Fact
It once named a person sent ahead to find lodging for a royal party. From that job of arriving first came the modern sense of a sign of what is coming.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Farmers across the valley welcomed the dark clouds as a herbinger of good rains after the long and difficult dry season.
a) valley
b) difficult
c) season
d) herbinger
Show answer
d) herbinger. The word opens with har, the same letters as in harvest.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The early bloom of the mango tree is a irnabherg of warm days ahead.
a) challenger
b) harbinger
c) messenger
d) scavenger
Show answer
b) harbinger. The jumble contains a b, and messenger, challenger and scavenger have none.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. kaleidoscope 2. harbinger 3. bouganvillea 4. onomatopoeia
a) a sign of something to come
b) a word that imitates a sound
c) a tube of mirrors that makes coloured patterns
d) a climbing plant with bright papery flowers
Show answer
d) a climbing plant with bright papery flowers. Bougainvillea has an i straight after the a.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word harbinger as used in the sentence:
The first koel's call is a harbinger of the long summer holidays.
a) remnant
b) reward
c) rival
d) herald
Show answer
d) herald. A herald is someone or something that announces what is about to happen.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which school event could be called a harbinger of exam season?
a) pupils cheering after the final paper
b) revision timetables going up on the board
c) report cards being signed by parents
d) teachers marking the last answer sheets
Show answer
b) revision timetables going up on the board
2. Calling a cool breeze a harbinger of rain means that the breeze ____
a) is stronger than the rain itself
b) comes before the rain and signals it
c) follows the rain and dries the ground
d) stops the rain from ever falling
Show answer
b) comes before the rain and signals it
