1
as in forerunners
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 ancestors
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
a precursor of the modern eggplant
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Recent Examples of precursors
The interaction between Hillary Galkin-Griffith from Three Hills Winery and Carol Erenyi, visiting for the weekend from Laguna Niguel with her husband, was typical of those whose wine tastings were precursors to future winery visits.
—
Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 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
Alongside the minerals deal, Xi reportedly agreed to purchase additional American soybeans and to strengthen enforcement against the export of chemical precursors used to produce fentanyl—long a major sticking point in bilateral talks.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Intriguingly, the data show that the large language models and their precursors have been increasing in size faster than the hardware has kept up.
—Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
These precursors include nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Li said Sunday that the parties had brokered a preliminary framework for a trade truce including new provisions regarding China’s export controls and safeguards against the smuggling of fentanyl and its chemical precursors.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
The team’s innovation focuses on Surface Immobilized Electrides, a new type of material made by attaching solvated electron precursors to stable surfaces like diamond and silicon carbide.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
After all, improvements require changes, and changes aren’t a luxury these pricey precursors can afford.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 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
Alongside the minerals deal, Xi reportedly agreed to purchase additional American soybeans and to strengthen enforcement against the export of chemical precursors used to produce fentanyl—long a major sticking point in bilateral talks.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Intriguingly, the data show that the large language models and their precursors have been increasing in size faster than the hardware has kept up.
—Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
These precursors include nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN).
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Li said Sunday that the parties had brokered a preliminary framework for a trade truce including new provisions regarding China’s export controls and safeguards against the smuggling of fentanyl and its chemical precursors.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
The team’s innovation focuses on Surface Immobilized Electrides, a new type of material made by attaching solvated electron precursors to stable surfaces like diamond and silicon carbide.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
After all, improvements require changes, and changes aren’t a luxury these pricey precursors can afford.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursors
Noun
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Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 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
Noun
-
Her ancestors were from Russia, who later fled to Ukraine and settled in Philadelphia.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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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 National Institutes of Health has tips for managing symptoms, including limiting alcohol and caffeine, and maintaining a healthy body weight.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
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In addition, Peri will continue to look at how perimenopause and its symptoms correlate with risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.—
Emily Burns,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The surfers, initially viewed by some as welcome curiosities and by others as nuisances, became harbingers of economic salvation through tourism, now the dominant industry, though still a relatively new one.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 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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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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Reeves gives life to John Constantine, a chain-smoking cynic with the ability to perceive the true visage of half-angels and half-demons.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Trade discussions dominated those meetings, but there were signs of growing tensions over Beijing’s surging conventional and nuclear arsenal.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Thanks to their thoughtful preservation efforts, signs of the past remain.—
Mel Studach,
Architectural Digest,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The indie feature heralds from Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
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Thy Kingdom Come’s entrance heralds 10 total appearances for the album’s tracks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His deputies and outriders are not quite so deft.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Precursors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursors. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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