Definitions of herald:

noun: (formal) a person who announces important news
Example: "The chieftain had a herald who announced his arrival with a trumpet"
noun: an indication of the approach of something or someone
verb: greet enthusiastically or joyfully
verb: praise vociferously
verb: foreshadow or presage
name: A surname (rare: 1 in 100000 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #7969)