as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prefigure
Tragedy strikes many times in this decades-spanning story, in many forms, but the defining event of Grainier’s life sees his home burned to the ground, an event that eerily prefigures the LA fires of early 2025.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
These opulent volumes prefigure the label’s high jewelry offering.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
These opulent volumes prefigure the label’s high jewelry offering.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure
Verb
-
Thousands gathered outside the gates hoping to glimpse the couple, turning what might have been a society wedding into a national spectacle—and foreshadowing the intense public fascination that would follow the Kennedys for decades.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Such a move seems to foreshadow one or more moves throughout the secondary in the draft.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the Midwest, temperatures exceeding 90 were predicted across Nebraska, followed by a big drop to the 50s and 60s Sunday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Each week since the season began in August, four of us — young Wilfred, a guest subscriber on rotation, an algorithm and I — have been predicting the Premier League scores with varying degrees of success.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a response posted to social media, Kennedy hit back at the pediatrics academy's criticism, implying that corporate pharmaceutical funders influenced the organization's views.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The book implies they were killed to keep them from talking about the heist.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Laura’s arrival heralds an overhaul.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The analyst anticipates this, along with ORCL's leading database technology and an accelerating applications business, could ensure continued growth in the years ahead.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2026
-
After nearly a four-year break, the preeminent Korean pop music group BTS is reuniting for a world tour featuring several dates in Latin America, where the group’s return is highly anticipated.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
