forerunner

noun

fore·​run·​ner ˈfȯr-ˌrə-nər 

1

: one that precedes and indicates the approach of another: such as

a

: a premonitory sign or symptom

b

: a skier who runs the course before the start of a race

2

: predecessor, ancestor

Synonyms

• angel
• foregoer
• harbinger
• herald
• outrider
• precursor

Choose the Right Synonym for forerunner

forerunner, precursor, harbinger, herald mean one that goes before or announces the coming of another.

forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season

the herald of a new age in medicine

Examples of forerunner in a Sentence

a simple machine that was the forerunner of today's computers

I had that strange feeling that's the forerunner of a cold.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their first restaurant, City Cafe, opened in 1981, was a forerunner in global-minded menus. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Originally marketed by a forerunner of GSK, it was later sold successively to Pfizer, Boehringer and finally to Sanofi. —CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The service believes there are around 100 in existence total out of 200,000 initially printed by National Allied Publications, a forerunner of DC Comics. —Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

See also: eel ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ by Thorstein Veblen Thorstein Veblen’s 1899 magnum opus, The Theory of the Leisure Class, could be considered a forerunner of the behavioral economics so popular now. —The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024

There definitely were no muppets during the Permian Period, but there was a Kermit - or at least a forerunner of modern amphibians that has been named after the celebrity frog. —Fox News, 22 Mar. 2024

Jonas, in addition to her innovations in video, is now considered to be among the forerunners of artists training the full force of their creative powers on the climate crisis. —Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024

Though the apparatus wasn’t widely available, this display represented a forerunner to real-time game updates on sports websites. —Frederic J. Frommer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024

So did the Five-Star Camp, a forerunner to today’s summer circuits sponsored by shoe companies that was run by a New Yorker named Howard Garfinkel. —Billy Witz, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

forerunner

noun

fore·​run·​ner -ˌrən-ər 

1

: one going or sent before to give notice of the approach of others : harbinger

2

: predecessor, ancestor