Meaning & use
heralded
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“heralded” is a form of “herald”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Announced something publicly, or served as a sign that something important was coming.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of herald; takes an object: the news heralded a change.
Patterns
- herald something
- something heralds something
The sound of church bells heralded the start of the festival.
The first snowfall heralded the arrival of winter.
The new phone was heralded by a massive advertising campaign.
verbtransitive
Praised or welcomed something as a major event or success.
Grammar: Very often used in the passive with as: was heralded as a breakthrough.
Patterns
- be heralded as something
- herald something as something
Critics heralded the film as a masterpiece.
The treaty was heralded as the end of a long conflict.
Her discovery was heralded as a turning point for cancer research.
adjectivebefore a noun
Widely praised and given a lot of attention.
Grammar: Appears before a noun, often with much or highly: the much-heralded merger.
Patterns
- much-heralded
- highly heralded
The much-heralded stadium finally opened last week.
Fans waited for the heralded return of the band.
The heralded newcomer scored in her first match.
Word forms
| base form | herald |
|---|---|
| third person singular | heralds |
| -ing form | heralding |
Common combinations
- heralded as
- The invention was heralded as a revolution in farming.
- much-heralded
- The much-heralded sequel disappointed many viewers.
- widely heralded
- Her widely heralded speech changed the debate.
- heralded the arrival of
- Warm winds heralded the arrival of spring.
- heralded the end of
- The merger heralded the end of the small company.
- heralded the start of
- A cannon shot heralded the start of the parade.
Synonyms and how they differ
- announced
- Announced is plain and states that something was made known, whereas heralded adds the idea that it signaled something important.
- proclaimed
- Proclaimed means declared loudly and officially, while heralded can also mean was a sign of what would follow.
- signaled
- Signaled means gave a sign of something, but heralded sounds grander and more positive.
- hailed
- Hailed means welcomed with praise and is very close to the second sense, though heralded sounds a bit more formal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: heralded or hailed?
heralded vs hailed
Hailed means greeted with praise, while heralded can also mean was a sign that something was coming.
Practice
The tournament, ______ as the biggest in the sport's history, drew record crowds.
Choose one answer.
Heralded as means widely praised or announced as. Hesitated, harbored and hauled do not fit the pattern with as.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heralded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.