as in foreshadows
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 prefigures
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
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigures
Verb
-
The move foreshadows a mandate on purchasing domestic AI silicon, according to a report from The Information.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The film smartly foreshadows what will befall Alma and Maggie and Hank.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But the Opta supercomputer predicts that Qarabag will finish 20th, with Atletico, City and Barcelona sneaking into the top eight over PSG, Newcastle and Chelsea.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
And in 2023 DeepMind released AlphaMissense, another AI tool that predicts how mutations in the regions of the genome that do generate proteins affect gene function.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Liverpool book, King’s biography implies, was part of a painful, covert search for a different way to write.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
That implies that the stock could plunge 70%.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Its appearance on the horizon heralds the rising of the Dog Star Sirius, the brightest of all stars, about 17 minutes later.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Widespread showers across the Bay Area on Wednesday are expected to taper off Thursday before light rain Friday morning heralds the arrival of an atmospheric river Friday afternoon.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Google has used its imaging tools on devices, and Klivan anticipates UT’s research will help in the development of devices across Texas.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Brown anticipates that crews could repair upwards of 20 breaks per day.—
Gino Vicci,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigures. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
