predecessors

noun

plural of predecessor
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of predecessors Ellison has taken an opposing view from his predecessors who confronted crumbling industry economics by cutting expenditures to boost their corporate bottom lines. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 Thus, treating the first movie’s haul as the new standard for future chapters was misguided, particularly when sequels have historically earned less than their predecessors. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 Read More Significantly smaller and lighter than their predecessors, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 also offer stronger noise cancellation, a crystal clear transparency mode, and lengthy battery life. — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026 Much of coaching football is taking ideas from your predecessors and adopting them as your own with a personal twist. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Williams and James entered the season under a lot of scrutiny given the impact their predecessors, Love and Jadarian Price, made last season on the Notre Dame offense. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026 Destined for the Italian Navy, the U212NFS submarines class represents a substantial evolution compared to to its U212A predecessors. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026 When City hammered Watford 6-0 in the 2019 FA Cup, it was put to Guardiola whether his deal was similar to that of one of his predecessors, Roberto Mancini. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Presidents angled for monuments honoring their predecessors, not themselves. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
  1. forerunners
  2. ancestors
  3. precursors
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • The changes would have affected the environments in which life developed and evolved, from the age of the dinosaurs through to some of our oldest primate ancestors.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In his view, Flagg Mountain’s fire-scarred stumps corroborate what his community already knew—that their ancestors used fire for centuries—and reinforce their sense of responsibility to care for the land.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • Ng, who is Jo Henderson’s oncologist, noted that her previous research found that women who ate more ultraprocessed foods had a higher risk of colon polyps that can be precursors to cancer.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of precursors

Browse Nearby Words

predecessor
predecessors
predestinate
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Cite this Entry

“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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