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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of predecessor
The sins of Breath of Fire subject Guru Jagat paled in comparison with those of her predatory male predecessors in the shady tradition of kundalini yoga.
—
Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Slot’s options are in stark contrast to the injury problems his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, was experiencing around this time last year.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Before taking office for a second term on January 20, Trump had been critical of his predecessor Joe Biden's military and financial support for Ukraine.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for predecessor 
Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Slot’s options are in stark contrast to the injury problems his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, was experiencing around this time last year.
—Andy Jones, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025
Before taking office for a second term on January 20, Trump had been critical of his predecessor Joe Biden's military and financial support for Ukraine.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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While Cal State Fullerton isn’t the first campus to launch a Project Rebound program, the university has been among the forerunners in its expansion, becoming a model for Project Rebound programs at the other universities in the CSU system.—
Lou Ponsi,
Orange County Register,
28 Jan. 2025
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Each night, Americans were reminded of the crisis on TV, as ABC created nightly reports called America Held Hostage with Ted Koppel, the forerunner to Nightline.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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However, many oral histories passed down in indigenous groups in Canada and the U.S. have contradicted this idea, suggesting that smaller groups made the journey over different periods of time and their ancestors told the tales of a great crossing, VOA News reports.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2025
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The driving force for the tour guides is the idea that Black Americans and Muslims must unapologetically tell their own story, an experience that so many of their ancestors were robbed of due to slavery.—
Ahmed Ali Akbar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Humidity Think of humidity as the precursor to mold and mildew.—
Rabekah Henderson,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2025
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Predicting earthquakes is not scientifically possible, and experts cannot determine definitively whether the seismic activity between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos is a precursor to a significantly larger earthquake, or is part of weeks or months of small or moderate intensity quakes.—
Elena Becatoros,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near predecessor
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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