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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ancestors
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
a precursor of the modern eggplant
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 precursors
Through transforming domestic coal ash into high-value industrial materials, the company is creating downstream manufacturing of end-products such as paper and paper products, textiles, building and construction materials, carbon fiber precursors, automobile parts, airplane parts, and more.
—
Nick Franck, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
This makes Best Documentary perennially one of the hardest categories to figure out, since the movies that win the precursors often don’t make the cut with Oscar — including this year, as PGA winner My Mom Jayne and DGA winner 2000 Meters to Andriivka both missed out.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Follow the precursors, and Michael Bauman wins.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026
Raw onions have many of the same precursors as garlic.
—Molly Burford, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Longmore noted that some of the complex molecules are thought to be precursors to amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
The last of the major Oscar precursors brought a few surprises to a previously unsurprising season.
—Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
In Sinaloa, the home of the notorious cartel that shares the region's name, authorities seized over 1,650 pounds of meth and another stockpile of precursors.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Nick Franck, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
This makes Best Documentary perennially one of the hardest categories to figure out, since the movies that win the precursors often don’t make the cut with Oscar — including this year, as PGA winner My Mom Jayne and DGA winner 2000 Meters to Andriivka both missed out.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Follow the precursors, and Michael Bauman wins.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026
Raw onions have many of the same precursors as garlic.
—Molly Burford, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Longmore noted that some of the complex molecules are thought to be precursors to amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
The last of the major Oscar precursors brought a few surprises to a previously unsurprising season.
—Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
In Sinaloa, the home of the notorious cartel that shares the region's name, authorities seized over 1,650 pounds of meth and another stockpile of precursors.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursors
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
And humans were likely making music before that, based on fossils showing our ancestors had the ability to sing over 530,000 years ago.—
Justin Pot,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Pinpointing when mosquitoes shifted their preference to human blood could provide a novel window into the spread of early human ancestors across the globe, according to a new study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If symptoms persist or worsen seek immediate medical attention.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Research suggests changes in brain chemistry involving neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine can cause depressive symptoms, says Noorlander.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Eclipses are harbingers of change, often bringing intense shifts in perspective and catapulting us into new realities.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Few harbingers are more promising than the Swedish singer and producer Robyn.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But, surely the angels also ate angel biscuits—hot, split, and buttered.—
Anne Byrn,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Yet some angels stood against evil and took action, evidenced by survivors who were hidden by a few righteous people who cared about humanity.—
Barbara Byer,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
America’s war against Iran is continuing in its third week without any reduction in intensity or imminent signs of its conclusion, despite statements from senior American officials about the successes already achieved.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The signs of Spring are abundant at Lafayette's Orchard Nursery.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Precursors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursors. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
