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
Like that of her predecessors, her voice garnered respect based on a lifetime of service at the sport’s highest levels.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Unlike its staid, variety‑show predecessors, there was no paste‑up scenery, no corny costumes, and no announcers with Oxbridge accents.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
If that doesn’t change, this postseason run will be shorter than that of its predecessors.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Probably half of his predecessors did.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026
Like its predecessors, the new Fire Stick HD plugs into a TV's HDMI port, connects to a Wi-Fi network, and brings a wide range of streaming apps to your screen.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 16 Apr. 2026
Block 2 BlueBirds are considerably larger than their predecessors, five of which reached LEO.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Does Cronin’s film have the sharp narrative lines or control of those predecessors?
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Sze's predecessors include Joy Harjo, Robert Pinsky and Billy Collins.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Unlike its staid, variety‑show predecessors, there was no paste‑up scenery, no corny costumes, and no announcers with Oxbridge accents.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
If that doesn’t change, this postseason run will be shorter than that of its predecessors.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Probably half of his predecessors did.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026
Like its predecessors, the new Fire Stick HD plugs into a TV's HDMI port, connects to a Wi-Fi network, and brings a wide range of streaming apps to your screen.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 16 Apr. 2026
Block 2 BlueBirds are considerably larger than their predecessors, five of which reached LEO.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Does Cronin’s film have the sharp narrative lines or control of those predecessors?
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Sze's predecessors include Joy Harjo, Robert Pinsky and Billy Collins.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
Noun
-
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
These were the forerunners of today’s robots.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This hulking sedan still lacks the grace of its E3 and E23 ancestors, but the infusion of Neue Klasse details and other tweaks definitely help.—
Stephen Edelstein,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Canada’s new citizenship law, effective December, lets Americans with distant Canadian ancestors claim dual nationality—potentially affecting millions and overwhelming immigration lawyers on both sides of the border.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Iran also spied on Iraqi positions with rudimentary precursors to drones, an early use of one of the regime’s most effective weapons in its attempt to blockade the strait.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In March, state media reported that China arrested seven people in an operation targeting traffickers of fentanyl precursors, according to the Reuters news agency.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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