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
Tim Lammers Among them, the actor noted, is that Sam wasn’t given powers with the super soldier serum like his predecessor.
—
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Both were appointed to their posts by Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
—John Kruzel, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The shape of the MGB bears no relation to its predecessors.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 23 May 2025
Essentially a beefed-up version of its 2017 predecessor, Nintendo’s latest hardware arrives with a bona fide doozy: an open-world Mario Kart game.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Both were appointed to their posts by Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.
—John Kruzel, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The shape of the MGB bears no relation to its predecessors.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 23 May 2025
Essentially a beefed-up version of its 2017 predecessor, Nintendo’s latest hardware arrives with a bona fide doozy: an open-world Mario Kart game.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Military training was also a non-starter, since the U.S. Army Air Service (a forerunner to the Air Force) did not accept women.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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It has been said that Nomad was the forerunner of all modern station wagons.—
David Krumboltz,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Florentine society had changed a good deal since the days of their illustrious ancestor; noble blood had in fact become something of a liability.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
29 May 2025
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One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Tort claims are typically filed as precursors to a potential lawsuit.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2025
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Gleason worked as a senior adviser to the U.S. Digital Service, the precursor to DOGE.—
Melissa Quinn
May 21,
CBS News,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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