1
as in forerunner
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in ancestor
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
a precursor of the modern eggplant
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of precursor
The unusually heavy rain that’s fallen across San Diego County is causing eye-catching flowers to sprout at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and might be a precursor to a superbloom.
—
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Since its membership is entirely international, the awards sometimes reflect the taste of an increasingly global Academy better than guild precursors like the SAG Awards or DGAs.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The 83rd Golden Globes take place Sunday, January 11, 2026 at the Beverly Hilton, a major precursor to the Oscars after the Critics Choice Awards kicked off this year’s awards season last week.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Assisted-driving tech is also considered a precursor to fully autonomous cars, which analysts say can unlock huge new markets for ride-hailing fleets as well as personal self-driving vehicles.
—Nora Eckert, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for precursor
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Since its membership is entirely international, the awards sometimes reflect the taste of an increasingly global Academy better than guild precursors like the SAG Awards or DGAs.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The 83rd Golden Globes take place Sunday, January 11, 2026 at the Beverly Hilton, a major precursor to the Oscars after the Critics Choice Awards kicked off this year’s awards season last week.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Assisted-driving tech is also considered a precursor to fully autonomous cars, which analysts say can unlock huge new markets for ride-hailing fleets as well as personal self-driving vehicles.
—Nora Eckert, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for precursor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursor
Noun
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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
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The League of Nations was the forerunner to the UN and is famous among historians for its formation after the wreckage of World War I and its almost immediate failure to prevent the rise of authoritarianism in the 1930s that gave way to World War II.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The issue is also deeply personal for Hall—his tribal council has granted and rescinded his own enrollment, all based on evolving interpretations of old documents about an ancestor.—
David Treuer,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
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The results show that the earliest lizard ancestors almost certainly lacked the armor altogether, with the trait remaining absent for tens of millions of years after lizards first evolved.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Eclipses are harbingers of change, often bringing intense shifts in perspective and catapulting us into new realities.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Hood said the dry spell isn't a harbinger of an arid spring season.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Other symptom include nausea, migraines, head pressure, vertigo and ringing or popping sensations in the ears.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Relapsing into depression isn’t an issue unique to SAINT; symptoms can still recur with conventional treatments.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hibiscus plants brighten up gardens with their big, colorful flowers that herald summer.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Dec. 2025
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The Thanksgiving holiday, a staple of the waning autumn days and a herald of upcoming Christmas festivities, has stood as a pillar of American culture since before the country’s founding.—
Angele Latham,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Nov. 2025
Noun
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About 30 percent of the galaxies emit radio waves, a sign that their central black holes are active.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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The rich-looking denim alternative was a big trend in 2025, with co-signs from Hailey Bieber and Martha Stewart.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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By the urn, Andula said, is a picture of their son that someone painted with angel wings behind him.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
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This reexamination of Stratten’s life, rape, and murder casts a new light on the angel who was a centerfold.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Precursor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursor. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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