as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
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Recent Examples of prefigure
Tragedy strikes many times in this decades-spanning story, in many forms, but the defining event of Grainier’s life sees his home burned to the ground, an event that eerily prefigures the LA fires of early 2025.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
These opulent volumes prefigure the label’s high jewelry offering.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
These opulent volumes prefigure the label’s high jewelry offering.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure
Verb
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That likely means the group’s heavy spending on signature gathering could foreshadow major advertising campaigns if the billionaire tax reaches the ballot, Bowler said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Sampson foreshadowed what was coming.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Knowing this value helps scientists predict chemical stability and reaction pathways.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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As the dust slowly settles, Democrats predict a wave of outrage, especially over the new voting restrictions.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Apple has included a repair manual that describes how to swap out the Neo’s keyboard, which may imply the company plans to start selling replacement keyboards as independent products via its Self Service Repair store (though this isn’t confirmed as of writing).—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
15 Mar. 2026
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After all, saying psychiatric euthanasia for young people should be avoided in the future implies that it should have been avoided in the past.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The actress had appeared on television and had previously been heralded as The Next Karate Kid, but her performance in Boys Don't Cry is one of the boldest breakthroughs ever captured on film.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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As the frontman of the Pogues, he was heralded for his cranky, often tongue-in-cheek delivery of songs about the misadventures of Ireland’s residents.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The setup clearly anticipates larger family groups, though a few design choices surprised me.—
Kinsey Gidick,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
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Renovation of the original building is anticipated to be complete in October.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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