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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of precursor
The move is a precursor to plans to centralize communications in its headquarters and eliminate those at its nine space centers, including Kennedy Space Center, according to Trump’s proposed 2026 budget.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2025
This program was a vital precursor to the 2003 PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) global initiative.
—Time, 11 June 2025
By World Health Organization (WHO) standards established in 1994, this designates a person as having osteopenia — often a precursor to osteoporosis.
—Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Leverton said trends like western, cottagecore, Americana and conservative styles of dress, in general, were precursors to where things were the U.S. presidential election was heading last year.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for precursor
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2025
This program was a vital precursor to the 2003 PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) global initiative.
—Time, 11 June 2025
By World Health Organization (WHO) standards established in 1994, this designates a person as having osteopenia — often a precursor to osteoporosis.
—Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Leverton said trends like western, cottagecore, Americana and conservative styles of dress, in general, were precursors to where things were the U.S. presidential election was heading last year.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for precursor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursor
Noun
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This is, in part, explained by the institutional memory of the competition’s forerunner — the Intercontinental Cup — and the legendary battles of a bygone era.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Another forerunner of today’s scene is Ansedonia, a hillside community of upscale homes near Capalbio that in the 1960s became popular with creative types from the Italian capital.—
Lee Marshall,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As Charles Handy explained in The Age of Paradox, modern life forces us to navigate complexities our ancestors never faced, such as the tension between efficiency and humanity or between individual freedom and collective responsibility.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Throughout the middle passage, it has been said that our ancestors wove familiar items such as beads, shells, or even seeds and grains from home into their braids, to keep with them along their journeys.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 June 2025
Noun
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In 2012, the Wythe was a harbinger of things to come in Williamsburg.—
Katherine LaGrave,
AFAR Media,
26 June 2025
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Thus, the early activity in the Pacific isn't likely a harbinger of storms to come in the Atlantic.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
Noun
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With virtually no access to testing, diagnoses came from Covid-19 symptoms that most of the world had grown familiar with: fever, cough, shortness of breath.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
18 June 2025
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This means funding more memory clinics, training primary care providers to recognize dementia symptoms — and ensuring that services are affordable and accessible to all.—
Taylor Penn-Vessels,
Baltimore Sun,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Brian Wilson’s death on Wednesday at the age of 82 heralds an end to one idea of Southern California — as the temperate paradise of ascendant Americana.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
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Budget cuts herald further losses of staff and programs.—
Bushraa Khatib,
Baltimore Sun,
10 June 2025
Noun
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Choose salmon that looks moist as this is a sign of freshness.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
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District administrators said the signs — including one displaying open hands of different skin tones — violated West Ada’s district policy.—
Emma Epperly,
Idaho Statesman,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Smart angels outside Silicon Valley would do better to avoid such instruments.—
Dileep Rao,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Also on deck for Lionsgate are Good Fortune starring Keanu Reeves as a meddlesome angel along with Seth Rogen and Aziz Ansar and Hunger Games helmer Francis Lawrence’s Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precursor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursor. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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