as in foreshadows
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
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Recent Examples of prefigures
The Kamm tail, with its upturned spoiler and flat panel adorned with Ferrari’s signature twin round taillights, is a nod to aerodynamics that prefigures the shape of the Lusso’s spiritual successor, the 275 GTB.
—
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigures
Verb
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Earlier poem-scrolls appear here, too, written in a style that foreshadows the graffiti Wong would come to love decades later.—
Lori Waxman,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
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With almost three years left in his final term, Trump’s absence from CPAC foreshadows his eventual departure as leader of the GOP and the conservative movement, a role typically served by the president or the party’s leading contender for the White House.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr.
Political,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If intelligence compounds as Nadella predicts, this time there will be a real first-mover advantage that didn’t exist in the internet era.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
Chasing atomic limits To overcome that challenge, the KAIST team relied on first-principles calculations, a computational approach that predicts material behavior using the laws of physics rather than experimental data.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
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That implies a total domestic gross in the $100-108 million range.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
-
As the title implies, things don’t go well.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
23 June 2026
Verb
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The project heralds from Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions, in association with Brookwell McNamara Entertainment.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
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This shift in economic ties heralds a much larger, global shift in the way these countries are financed, developed and employed.—
Alex Daruty,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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By daybreak melatonin levels are already declining in most of us, as the body clock anticipates the day to come, but the first splash of light in the eyes helps hasten the process and keep us in sync with the sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
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The city anticipates that the permanent facility will be constructed in the next four years.—
Dylan Lysen
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigures. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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