predecessor

noun

pre·​de·​ces·​sor ˈpre-də-ˌse-sər  ˈprē- 

ˌpre-də-ˈse-,

ˌprē-

1

: one that precedes

especially : a person who has previously occupied a position or office to which another has succeeded

2

archaic : ancestor

Synonyms of predecessor

• forerunner
• ancestor
• precursor

Examples of predecessor in a Sentence

Today's computers are much faster than their predecessors were.

the once-ubiquitous typewriter was the predecessor of today's electronic keyboard

Recent Examples on the Web

What drove Roosevelt to diverge from his predecessors in his press dealings? —JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025

Alcalá allegedly worked with the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) and is charged with being part of a narco-government led by Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez. —Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

In the early two-thousands, its predecessor organization, a militia known as the Janjaweed, perpetrated a genocide in Darfur that killed some three hundred thousand people. —Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025

Trump previously welcomed Orban to the White House during his first term, in 2019, breaking from his predecessors who had shunned Hungary's prime minister from Washington. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English predecessour, from Anglo-French predecessur, from Late Latin praedecessor, from Latin prae- pre- + decessor retiring governor, from decedere to depart, retire from office — more at decease

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predecessor

• intercessor
• preprocessor
• vasopressor
• aggressor
• assessor
• compressor
• confessor
• depressor
• hairdresser
• necessar
• oppressor
• possessor

Kids Definition

predecessor

noun

pre·​de·​ces·​sor ˈpred-ə-ˌses-ər  ˈprēd- 

: one that precedes

especially : a person who has held a position or office before another

Etymology

Middle English predecessour "predecessor," from early French predecesseur (same meaning), from Latin praedecessor "one that goes before," from prae- "before, pre-," and decessor "retiring governor," from decedere "to depart," from de- "from" and cedere "to go, go away" — related to ancestor, concede