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
The release of the Nintendo Switch 2 comes eight years after its predecessor Nintendo Switch, a hybrid console that allows users to play it on the go as a mobile device or plug it into a TV for at-home play.
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Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 June 2025
Segura’s predecessor, Dana Tomarken, was abruptly fired in April of 2018 after 25 years with the Academy, resulting in her filing a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Academy.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 May 2025
Read more: The Meaning of Germany’s Dramatic Rearmament The shift marks a departure from Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, who had resisted sending long-range weaponry to Ukraine, citing fears of Russian escalation.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 27 May 2025
Trump has repeatedly sought to blame his predecessor for inflation.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 June 2025
Segura’s predecessor, Dana Tomarken, was abruptly fired in April of 2018 after 25 years with the Academy, resulting in her filing a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Academy.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 May 2025
Read more: The Meaning of Germany’s Dramatic Rearmament The shift marks a departure from Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, who had resisted sending long-range weaponry to Ukraine, citing fears of Russian escalation.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 27 May 2025
Trump has repeatedly sought to blame his predecessor for inflation.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Military training was also a non-starter, since the U.S. Army Air Service (a forerunner to the Air Force) did not accept women.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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It has been said that Nomad was the forerunner of all modern station wagons.—
David Krumboltz,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While tree-dwelling sloths were out of reach to our ancestors, the large and slow ground animals would have made easy targets.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
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The banjo itself was invented by our ancestors to bring us together as a spiritual community, stretching from those long gone, all the way to those who haven’t been born yet.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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