1
as in precursor
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
the return of the swallows is traditionally regarded as a forerunner of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ancestor
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
enjoyed the demonstration of the simple hand loom that was the forerunner of today's computer-controlled looms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forerunner
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.
—
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
The reactor is the forerunner to the Aalo Pod, a 50-megawatt modular power plant designed specifically for data centers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
German missile designers launched their V2 rocket for the first time—the forerunner of the ICBM that would blitz the United Kingdom—and Berlin’s Luftwaffe dominated European skies.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forerunner
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
The reactor is the forerunner to the Aalo Pod, a 50-megawatt modular power plant designed specifically for data centers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
German missile designers launched their V2 rocket for the first time—the forerunner of the ICBM that would blitz the United Kingdom—and Berlin’s Luftwaffe dominated European skies.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forerunner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerunner
Noun
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The story revealed Lively had filed a precursor complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Trump said that Xi committed to cracking down on the production of fentanyl precursors as well in exchange for lowering tariffs on China.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her ancestors were from Russia, who later fled to Ukraine and settled in Philadelphia.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The idea was to go back to the basic foods that their ancestors ate.—
Chrystle Fiedler,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The first biography of James Schuyler suggests that his tendency to withdraw was both a harbinger of his disabling mood disorder and the wellspring of his shimmering poetry.—
Langdon Hammer,
The New York Review of Books,
30 Oct. 2025
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Keep an eye on these state elections Could these statewide elections be harbingers of what's to come in the 2026 midterms?—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Coupe prototype is a high-riding grand tourer with a long snout, doors that slide open rather than swing, and a fastback roofline – a classic high-line design characteristic.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
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As recent graduates from the University of California, Davis, he and co-founder Moby Ahmed had some initial lab data but not much in the way of substantial proof, let alone yarn samples or prototypes.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The indie feature heralds from Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma put down the supe uprising, but then psychotic fascist Homelander showed up to condemn them as villains and herald the murderous Cate and Sam as top students and potential recruits for the thoroughly corrupt Seven.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With unpredictable twists and emotions running high, this Halloween is especially chaotic, and Mutable signs — Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces — can't imagine what's in store.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Front-foot defending and slick attacking interplay, especially on the left flank, has been the blueprint over the past few seasons, but there are signs of evolution.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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According to Heuisler, after 21 years in barrels the whiskey stood at about 110 proof, and only about a quarter of the liquid actually remained after decades of the angels drinking their share.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
2 Nov. 2025
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He can also be seen in movie theaters in Lionsgate’s angel/body-swap comedy Good Fortune directed by and starring Aziz Ansari, Reeves reprised his role as John Wick is that franchise’s spinoff Ballerina back in June.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forerunner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forerunner. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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