forerunners

Definition of forerunnersnext
plural of forerunner
1
2
as in ancestors
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forerunners The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts. ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 These were the forerunners of today’s robots. Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026 And these projects may just be the forerunners. Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026 With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners. Helen Branswell, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026 Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 The primacy of a central meeting space can be traced to the Greek Empire with the agora, among other forerunners. Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerunners
Noun
  • Such engravings, which depict the wackily maximalist style à la mode, including oodles of feathers and furbelows, were, in essence, early precursors to modern fashion magazines.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Fixing Li-ion battery limits The method works under ambient conditions and relies on simple precursors.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Claire meets Frank’s ancestors.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
  • People whose ancestors ate a lot of endosperm have extra copies of the genes that make starch‑digesting enzymes.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • If popular wine auction results are truly harbingers of pendulum swings in the world of wine, then Cabernet Franc is having a moment.
    Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
  • These harbingers of doom turn out to be on to something, because shortly after, the couple are in an accident in which Jakob is killed.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • And like their predecessors, the Artemis 2 crew members may not have the honor of making a lunar landing, but will instead pave the way for future astronauts to step foot on the lunar surface.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
  • For years, DeSantis and his predecessors have given prisoners merely 30 days to litigate their final claims after receiving a death warrant.
    Melanie Verdecia, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The movie heralds from FilmNation Entertainment’s production label Infrared, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, and Assemble Media.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
  • New studies, however, clearly show that medical marijuana is not nearly as effective as the pro-marijuana lobby heralds.
    Mike Gimbel, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Photos of him in frames with hearts and angels wings dotted the shelves.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The lyrics of their earlier tracks are dotted with images of angels and other elements of the divine.
    Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • His deputies and outriders are not quite so deft.
    Sam Knight, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Churchill Downs outriders, jockey agents, jockeys Florent Geroux and Julian Leperoux, as well as members of Lukas' barn staff also sat in the crowd.
    Stephanie Kuzydym, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In a message Monday on X, Sánchez said that so far there were no signs indicating that the plane was attacked by rebel groups that operate near Puerto Leguizamo.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Cabarrus County Republican Party Chair Jim Quick pointed to the combination of increases in property values and tax revenue growth as signs homeowners in the county are feeling effects of higher tax bills.
    Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Forerunners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forerunners. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

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