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
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Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025 -
Schuyler, who a decade ago sold her company, Epitome Pictures, to DHX Media, a forerunner of Wild Brain Entertainment, was not available for comment on Wednesday.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several of the country’s biggest news outlets are publicly pushing back on the rules, foreshadowing a potential legal battle.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Hernandez added a two-out RBI double that inning – foreshadowing the fifth-inning explosion.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The car was a precursor to the Testarossa and one of 1,007 made.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Certification is a necessary precursor for allowing a vehicle to approach the orbiting laboratory.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Levin was recently presented with the ultimate Fourth Estate tribute — a mock front page of USA Today with stories heralding his longevity and his achievements.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Across the city of Tianjin, banners in English, Russian and Chinese heralding the gathering lined highways.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The key question investors and the Fed are trying to answer is whether this slight slackening presages a far worse outlook, even a recession, or whether reports of rising uncertainty merely reflect people’s feelings, not economic reality.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
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The result is chaos, bewilderment and delay that presages rising consumer prices.—
Peter S. Goodman,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Keane, though, sees nothing but disaster ahead, a portent presaged by some of the film’s most enduring images, like a stretch limo with a flat tire and a steam room littered with empty champagne bottles.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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As portents go, after a testing summer for Newcastle, this did not look altogether positive.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Going deeper The two startups, Kalshi and Polymarket, generated huge buzz by accurately predicting the 2024 election results.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
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What is the Old Farmer's Almanac predicting for Wisconsin's fall 2025 weather forecast?—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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However, there are no such hints for players in Season 3, who are sorted into teams at the beginning of their time in Borderland and told where to go for the next match.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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Le Monde Gourmand's warm yet spicy scent, with hints of nutmeg, sandalwood and musk, is the perfect aroma for sweater weather.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Prefiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefiguring. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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