usher in

verb

ushered in; ushering in; ushers in

transitive verb

1

: to serve to bring into being

a discovery that ushered in a period of change

2

: to mark or observe the beginning of

ushered in the new year with merrymaking

Choose the Right Synonym for usher in

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation.

begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable.

begin, opposed to end, is the most general.

begin a trip

began dancing

start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.

the work started slowly

commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.

commence firing

commenced a conversation

initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.

initiated diplomatic contacts

inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.

the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine

usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.

ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of usher in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The new album’s title track ponders the optimism of a postwar generation that saw itself as ushering in a golden age. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

It’s widely believed that Republicans could usher in more tax cuts, albeit with reductions in spending too, in an era when U.S. debt has already soared to historic levels. —Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Early November ushers in a skywatching bonanza, with three active meteor showers offering the chance to see shooting stars light up the night sky. —Denise Chow, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024

This came to fruition again with her work on Craig starrer Layer Cake and on the first season of Peaky Blinders, the latter of which ushered in a mini fashion revolution and won Collie an RTS Award. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1