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

This prequel to Hallmark’s historical drama series, When Calls the Heart, will take viewers back in time to follow the early settlers of the community that will one day become the beloved frontier town of Hope Valley. —Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026

During that time, between eight and 10 of the films released each year were a sequel, prequel or remake. —Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026

The origin story prequel began production in Bangkok, Thailand, this week, backed by Lionsgate, Millennium Media, Templeton Media and AGBO. —Arushi Jacob, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026

Likewise seen in White Bird, Lionsgate’s spin-off prequel to Wonder, Matthews is repped by JAG and Insight. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Jan. 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