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
Johnson’s predecessors, former mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel, also paid their respects in Tuesday statements.
—
Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
After all, several of his most immediate predecessors left Wolves feeling that promises made on transfers had not been realised.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The Crew-12 mission was bumped up a few days so the astronauts can get to an understaffed space station after the mission's Crew-11 predecessors were medically evacuated in mid-January.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
His latest model, the Nike Ja 3, has drawn significant praise for a more radical design than its two predecessors and drove him to becoming StockX‘s second bestselling signature athlete.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
In outpacing even most private-sector calculations, the INDEC inflation figure published Tuesday dispelled concerns — at least for now — that the government was cooking the books in any way comparable to his predecessors.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Pritzkau has been on the camp scene for years, learning from his predecessors in the early stages.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Unlike its predecessors, however, 3I/ATLAS put on an extended chemical show that SPHEREx was uniquely equipped to observe.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Also, Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, Bieniemy’s predecessors under Reid with the Chiefs, later became head coaches.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
After all, several of his most immediate predecessors left Wolves feeling that promises made on transfers had not been realised.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The Crew-12 mission was bumped up a few days so the astronauts can get to an understaffed space station after the mission's Crew-11 predecessors were medically evacuated in mid-January.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
His latest model, the Nike Ja 3, has drawn significant praise for a more radical design than its two predecessors and drove him to becoming StockX‘s second bestselling signature athlete.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
In outpacing even most private-sector calculations, the INDEC inflation figure published Tuesday dispelled concerns — at least for now — that the government was cooking the books in any way comparable to his predecessors.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Pritzkau has been on the camp scene for years, learning from his predecessors in the early stages.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Unlike its predecessors, however, 3I/ATLAS put on an extended chemical show that SPHEREx was uniquely equipped to observe.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Also, Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, Bieniemy’s predecessors under Reid with the Chiefs, later became head coaches.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
Noun
-
With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
21 Jan. 2026
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Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The further in the past your dog has purebred ancestors, the smaller the identical segments matching our reference dataset are.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Being alone would’ve made our ancestors more vulnerable to, say, bears or lions.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Dow is older than the S&P 500, which was established in 1957 (though precursors had existed since 1928) and the Nasdaq Composite, which was established in 1971.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thiel’s claim climate policy and global cooperation are precursors to a one‑world dictatorship ignores how such policies actually work.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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