forerunner

noun

fore·​run·​ner ˈfȯr-ˌrə-nər 

1

: one that precedes and indicates the approach of another: such as

a

: a premonitory sign or symptom

b

: a skier who runs the course before the start of a race

2

: predecessor, ancestor

Synonyms

• angel
• foregoer
• harbinger
• herald
• outrider
• precursor

Choose the Right Synonym for forerunner

forerunner, precursor, harbinger, herald mean one that goes before or announces the coming of another.

forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season

the herald of a new age in medicine

Examples of forerunner in a Sentence

a simple machine that was the forerunner of today's computers

I had that strange feeling that's the forerunner of a cold.

Recent Examples on the Web

The most obvious forerunner is Video Quartet, a 2002 work in which four screens show four videos simultaneously, each constructed from myriad film clips, all synced in a way that interlaces their soundtracks into a musical composition. —Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Solution #4: Charles Schwab Schwab, a forerunner in discount brokerage, has a bank subsidiary that can do what banks usually do. —William Baldwin, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025

The notable feature of this particular death factory was its use of gas vans, a forerunner to the larger, more impersonal gas chambers built at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka. —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

In 1914, Frank Newman opened the Royal Theatre which was a forerunner to movie palaces in the city, a significant departure from nickelodeons. —Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for forerunner

• brunner
• gunnar
• gunner
• runner
• tonner

Kids Definition

forerunner

noun

fore·​run·​ner -ˌrən-ər 

1

: one going or sent before to give notice of the approach of others : harbinger

2

: predecessor, ancestor