prequel

play

noun pre·quel \ ˈprē-kwəl \

Definition of prequel

:a work (such as a novel or a play) whose story precedes that of an earlier work

See prequel defined for English-language learners

Examples of prequel in a Sentence

His next film will be a prequel to last year's hit movie.

Recent Examples of prequel from the Web

Martin is also heavily involved in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel projects in development (of which four have been confirmed by the network).

— james hibberd, PEOPLE.com, "George R.R. Martin Corrects Reports: Yes, He Watches Game of Thrones," 23 Aug. 2017
Agents of Mayhem is a pseudo-sequel/reboot/spinoff/prequel to Saints Row (and subsequently Red Faction—all three series are connected in subtle and not-so-subtle ways), but only diehard fans will likely notice it.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Agents of Mayhem review: Destroying a really dull open world," 18 Aug. 2017
SPACE ODDITY VF.com’s Laura Bradley e-mails: At long last, David Bowie made his first appearance on Twin Peaks: The Return as Phillip Jeffries, his character from the Twin Peaks prequel movie Fire Walk with Me.

— rebecca keegan, vanityfair.com, "The Streaming Wars Just Got Personal," 14 Aug. 2017
Talk about prequels, reunions and revivals has basically been non-stop since the films concluded, but of course, none had yet been from a Lionsgate CEO.

— brianna wiest, Teen Vogue, "New "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" Movies May Be Coming To Theaters," 10 Aug. 2017
But now his origin story will be explored fully in Young Sheldon, this fall's spinoff prequel which picks up with a 9-year-old Sheldon attending high school in East Texas.

— emma dibdin, Good Housekeeping, "7 Things to Expect From "Big Bang Theory" Prequel "Young Sheldon"," 1 Aug. 2017
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige dropped a few new details about the upcoming Captain Marvel movie starring Brie Larson at San Diego Comic-Con, including the fact that the film will be a prequel to the original Iron Man and take place in the 1990s.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "Will Take Place in the 90s. Why That's Such a Great Idea," 23 July 2017
Potterworld fully sprang back into action in 2016 with the release of a sequel play (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and prequel movie (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).

— ashley ross, Time, "5 Things I Realized Re-reading Harry Potter as an Adult," 26 June 2017
Unfortunately, this limited-series prequel isn't likely to be remembered as well as the original.

— kristi turnquist, OregonLive.com, "TV This Week: 'Power'; BET Awards; 'Broadchurch'; 'Preacher'; 'Big Brother'," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prequel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.