prefigure
verb
pre·fig·ure
ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər 
especially British -ˈfi-gə
prefigured; prefiguring; prefigures
1
: to show, suggest, or announce by an antecedent type, image, or likeness
Her style of painting prefigured modern art.
2
: to picture or imagine beforehand
Examples of prefigure in a Sentence
His style of painting prefigured the development of modern art.
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Recent Examples on the Web
In July 1962, Froio prefigured her lifelong involvement with the Hamptons by writing a piece for WWD about what was selling at the boutiques in West Hampton, commenting on the merchandise at stores called Le Sorelle (The Sisters) and Treasure Trove.
—
Lorna Koski, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Projected on an obelisk, this narrowest of histories prefigured the commemorative distortions to follow.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
The race took on the dimensions of a proxy battle between OpenAI and Anthropic, a clash of money and priorities that seems likely to prefigure other midterm contests.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.
—Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
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Lorna Koski, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Projected on an obelisk, this narrowest of histories prefigured the commemorative distortions to follow.
—Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026
The race took on the dimensions of a proxy battle between OpenAI and Anthropic, a clash of money and priorities that seems likely to prefigure other midterm contests.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.
—Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefigure. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prefigure
verb
pre·fig·ure
(ˈ)prē-ˈfig-yər
especially British -ˈfig-ər
1
: to show, suggest, or announce by an earlier type, image, or likeness
the first crocus prefigures the arrival of spring
2
: to picture or imagine beforehand
prefigure the outcome of the game
prefiguration
noun
(ˌ)prē-ˌfig-(y)ə-ˈrā-shən
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