as in forerunners
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 predecessors
The president noted that past military conflicts have dogged his predecessors, mentioning former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and Jimmy Carter’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis.
—
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi can build on the lengthy, overall successful record of predecessors, including Abe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump has criticized his presidential predecessors for dragging out other conflicts in the Middle East.
—Dan Mangan,eamon Javers, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
Its predecessors, Centaurs III and IV, flew using the same RL10 engine and relied on much of the same technology built into Centaur V to fulfill nearly 170 launches aboard ULA's Delta IV and Atlas rockets.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
They were prominently reported by this newspaper and its predecessors, which contributed to the expulsion of almost all Native Americans from Texas.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Trump, bolstered by his success in Venezuela, has reveled in killing Iran’s supreme leader and is drawn to accomplishing things that his predecessors could not.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Even ones who are only four months in and harbor obvious resentment toward their predecessors.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
Advertisement There’s no denying that the president has been a far more ardent champion of coal than his recent predecessors.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi can build on the lengthy, overall successful record of predecessors, including Abe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump has criticized his presidential predecessors for dragging out other conflicts in the Middle East.
—Dan Mangan,eamon Javers, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
Its predecessors, Centaurs III and IV, flew using the same RL10 engine and relied on much of the same technology built into Centaur V to fulfill nearly 170 launches aboard ULA's Delta IV and Atlas rockets.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
They were prominently reported by this newspaper and its predecessors, which contributed to the expulsion of almost all Native Americans from Texas.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Trump, bolstered by his success in Venezuela, has reveled in killing Iran’s supreme leader and is drawn to accomplishing things that his predecessors could not.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
Even ones who are only four months in and harbor obvious resentment toward their predecessors.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
Advertisement There’s no denying that the president has been a far more ardent champion of coal than his recent predecessors.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
Noun
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These were the forerunners of today’s robots.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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And these projects may just be the forerunners.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The point is to have enough free-ranging bison to provide tribal members with the hunts, the food, and the presence that connect them to their ancestors.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
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Intelligent, tool-using species — including our direct ancestors — have been around for millions of years.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Longmore noted that some of the complex molecules are thought to be precursors to amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Just as most precursors have done, the PGA gave PTA and his fellow producers Adam Somner and Sara Murphy their Best Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Award.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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