forerun

verb

fore·​run fȯr-ˈrən 

foreran fȯr-ˈran  ; forerun; forerunning

transitive verb

1

: to run before

2

: to come before as a token of something to follow

3

: forestall, anticipate

Synonyms

• adumbrate
• foreshadow
• harbinger
• herald
• prefigure

Examples of forerun in a Sentence

the moral decay that traditionally foreruns the decline of a mighty empire

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1