as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the preaching of John the Baptist is generally regarded by Christians as a prefiguring of the ministry of Jesus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in foreshadowing
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefiguring
Noun
-
The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026 -
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
Verb
-
But the right-hander rebounded by striking out the next three hitters, foreshadowing what turned out to be a historic outing.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Thousands gathered outside the gates hoping to glimpse the couple, turning what might have been a society wedding into a national spectacle—and foreshadowing the intense public fascination that would follow the Kennedys for decades.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Such engravings, which depict the wackily maximalist style à la mode, including oodles of feathers and furbelows, were, in essence, early precursors to modern fashion magazines.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Tantric yoga is obviously meant to be the precursor to intimate relations.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With warmer weather heralding spring, the amount of outdoor activities significantly increases.—
Lesly Gregory,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The Dodgers brought in a live trumpet player to play Diaz’s signature entrance music, heralding the first save situation for the Dodgers’ new closer.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The company is facing similar litigation in Nevada — and while the injunction is only temporary, and focuses on sports betting, the legal action presages the broader efforts by states to protect the lucrative revenue gambling brings in.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
For Swain, the rise of directs presages nothing less than a revolution in the world’s financial markets.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Somewhere in there was portent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
-
This was only a portent of things to come — the protests were dwarfed by massive protests and riots against the regime in September 2022-2023, then the largest protests in December 2025 to January 2026.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But workers are also wary of the risks threatening typical 9-to-5 roles, with future-of-work reports and big-name CEOs predicting widespread workforce changes.—
Megan Sauer
Sarah Jackson
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Users on Polymarket and Kalshi had placed bets totaling about $11 million as of Friday morning towards predicting who will win.—
Lia Russell
March 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The air smells damp and jungly (in the best possible way) and is sweetened with a hint of frangipani.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Researchers are now exploring Greenland shark genetics for clues about aging, finding hints of enhanced DNA repair and cellular maintenance that could slow aging at a fundamental level.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Prefiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefiguring. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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