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
Her predecessor, Daniel Hahn, served from August 2017 to December 2021.
—
Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Galante recognizes that his design decisions are being carefully watched and scrutinized by the Jeep community; his predecessor, Mark Allen, was a legend.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
Investigators believe Ominstealer will spread much wider than its 2017 predecessor.
—Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026
While popular, the Air Jordan 10 was only worn briefly by Jordan following his first NBA retirement and was overshadowed by its predecessor, the Air Jordan 11, which is widely considered to be one of the best sneakers of all time.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Galante recognizes that his design decisions are being carefully watched and scrutinized by the Jeep community; his predecessor, Mark Allen, was a legend.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
Investigators believe Ominstealer will spread much wider than its 2017 predecessor.
—Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026
While popular, the Air Jordan 10 was only worn briefly by Jordan following his first NBA retirement and was overshadowed by its predecessor, the Air Jordan 11, which is widely considered to be one of the best sneakers of all time.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Williams had managed traditional Tex-Mex restaurants that were the forerunner of today’s Mercado Juarez Cafes.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Four Freedoms awards are presented in the New Church in Middelburg, in the province of Zeeland, where Roosevelt's ancestors hail from.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Researchers studying a 250-million-year-old fossil have found the first ever proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs, with the discovery also shedding light on a remarkable survival story.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eventually, a banner signifying the first NCAA women’s basketball title will be raised to the ceiling in Pauley Pavilion, where currently the only women’s basketball title banner is from the school’s 1978 AIAW championship, the precursor to the NCAA.—
Beth Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Iran also spied on Iraqi positions with rudimentary precursors to drones, an early use of one of the regime’s most effective weapons in its attempt to blockade the strait.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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