as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the once-ubiquitous typewriter was the predecessor of today's electronic keyboard
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Recent Examples of predecessor
Like its predecessors, the upcoming film follows an ensemble desperate to avoid a grisly end, after managing to escape the clutches of Death thanks to one person's premonition.
—
Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Maryland, where Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, had success in appointing new federal judges, has become a popular venue for lawsuits against the Trump administration.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Lately, it's also become politically charged, with President Donald Trump blaming his predecessor for their lengthy stay.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Earlier this week, Intel announced Tan was filling the role left vacant when the board ousted his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Maryland, where Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, had success in appointing new federal judges, has become a popular venue for lawsuits against the Trump administration.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Lately, it's also become politically charged, with President Donald Trump blaming his predecessor for their lengthy stay.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Earlier this week, Intel announced Tan was filling the role left vacant when the board ousted his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Yet this brand of Christian Zionism is clearly the forerunner to today’s – and holds sway in Washington.—
Shalom Goldman,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2025
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The title is an apt, if sort of obvious, introduction to Turner, who has been hailed as the forerunner to modern art.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Until recently, the ancestors of insects were thought to be more millipede-like and evolved once invertebrates began to live on land.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 Apr. 2025
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During the Pleistocene, our ancestors lived through several different ice ages.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In addition, neighborhoods would no longer be required — as a precursor to meters — to test out two-hour and three-hour parking zones enforced by chalking tires instead of meters.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
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Directed by Arthur Penn, who brought a bold visual style, frank sexuality and graphic, balletic violence to a Hollywood dominated by optimistic pictures, this countercultural romance served as a precursor to the generational tension and mistrust in authority that was quietly pervading the country.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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