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
There was never a Blair doctrine or philosophy of government, unlike his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher.
—
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Advertisement His speech was another signal that the new pope, whose views on many issues remain unclear, is likely to take the same hardline stance on climate change as his predecessor.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
On March 17, 2026, Scribner will publish How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, which picks up seven years after its predecessor.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Dehring’s predecessor as Cricket West Indies CEO was Englishman Johnny Grave, who has moved on to work in growing the game in the United States.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Advertisement His speech was another signal that the new pope, whose views on many issues remain unclear, is likely to take the same hardline stance on climate change as his predecessor.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
On March 17, 2026, Scribner will publish How to Hold Someone in Your Heart, which picks up seven years after its predecessor.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Dehring’s predecessor as Cricket West Indies CEO was Englishman Johnny Grave, who has moved on to work in growing the game in the United States.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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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
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The event turned out to be a forerunner to the UN Earth Summit.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2024, some 75 representatives gathered in Pegli, near Genoa, their ancestors’ home.—
Miquel Ros,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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Dogs’ tendency to chase or bark at cats often stems from their natural prey drive, a leftover instinct from their wild ancestors.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once most of the ticker tape had been cleared from the pitch, and the game finally started, all this seemed to have rattled the Netherlands, who played an unusually physical brand of football, perhaps a precursor to their infamous 2010 final display against Spain.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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With Tagovailoa, however, that off-the-field chemistry has always been a precursor to what happens in between the lines.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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