as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the once-ubiquitous typewriter was the predecessor of today's electronic keyboard
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Recent Examples of predecessor
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie are trying to pick up the pieces after a season of chaos caused their predecessors to lose their jobs, but so far fate and misfortune seem to be conspiring against them.
—
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
In October 1950, a pair of baby western lowland gorillas arrived in Milwaukee and became a star attraction at the Washington Park Zoo (the predecessor to today's Milwaukee County Zoo).
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Earlier on Monday, analysis firm Counterpoint Research said first-10-day unit sales of the new iPhone 17 series in China had nearly doubled those of its predecessor.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Its predecessor, Artemis 1, launched in November 2022, and carried several sensors but no life support systems or astronauts.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
In October 1950, a pair of baby western lowland gorillas arrived in Milwaukee and became a star attraction at the Washington Park Zoo (the predecessor to today's Milwaukee County Zoo).
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Earlier on Monday, analysis firm Counterpoint Research said first-10-day unit sales of the new iPhone 17 series in China had nearly doubled those of its predecessor.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
Its predecessor, Artemis 1, launched in November 2022, and carried several sensors but no life support systems or astronauts.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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The investor and industrialist Andrew Mellon enjoyed a lengthy tenure as Treasury secretary—a forerunner to Trump’s Treasury appointees, Steven Mnuchin and Scott Bessent, both of them recruited straight from Wall Street.—
Evan Hughes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
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Half of those tested had osteoporosis or a forerunner condition, osteopenia.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The ancestors were taken from the Riverside Cemetery site near the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between 1961 and 1963 during a joint excavation led by anthropologists Robert Retzenthaler for the Milwaukee Public Museum and Robert Hrushka for the Oshkosh Public Museum.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Furthermore, the analyses consistently position the new species as an ancestor of the entire dyrosaurid group.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This monster is the precursor to slasher villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, who lumber along on their killing sprees, though this blueprint is far more sympathetic.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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It is then converted into acetic acid, a key methane precursor.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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