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 round of 32 is less crowded and more competitive than its predecessor.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Under Sheinbaum, security forces have come down on criminal groups with a heavier hand than her predecessors.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
But the record is far less gothic than its predecessor, less obviously pained.
—Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Tomkins borrowed the title from a sixteenth-century publication by Giorgio Vasari, a painter and an architect who chronicled the lives of Cimabue, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Giotto, and many other predecessors and contemporaries.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Under Sheinbaum, security forces have come down on criminal groups with a heavier hand than her predecessors.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
But the record is far less gothic than its predecessor, less obviously pained.
—Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Also like its forerunner, HBO’s latest ends each episode at a moment of peak tension.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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These were the forerunners of today’s robots.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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People whose ancestors ate a lot of endosperm have extra copies of the genes that make starch‑digesting enzymes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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In my last visit to my village, my mother asked me to scrape some soil into my hands and whisper a prayer to my ancestors.—
Chinonso Ihekire,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Nanjiani steered the audience through the tie in the Live-Action Short category as calmly and confidently as a pilot navigating turbulence, and in the process probably bumped up his stock as a host for the precursor circuit.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Online reaction to the latest cease-and-desist letter sent to Campbell largely questioned why Kirk and TPUSA have not filed suit instead of issuing multiple letters, which are typically seen as a precursor to litigation.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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