prequel

noun

pre·​quel ˈprē-kwəl 

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

… the real payoff will be for the next Star Wars, an expected prequel to the previous three movies.

—Laurence Hooper

Examples of prequel in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Named Issac 0, the company launched the autonomous robot as a prequel to their upcoming robot Issac, which will be released later this year. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026

The micro-budget movie should have Hollywood embracing more of these types of original projects instead of relying on tired sequels, prequels, and reboots of existing properties. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 13 Feb. 2026

There is no direct source material for Start of Watch since author Michael Connelly’s Bosch book series does not include a prequel. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026

He was announced in May 2025 to have a recurring role in Elle, a Legally Blonde prequel set up at Prime Video. —Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

pre- + -quel (as in sequel)

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prequel

• equal
• sequel
• coequal
• subequal
• unequal