prefigure

verb

pre·​fig·​ure ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər 

 especially British  -ˈfi-gə

prefigured; prefiguring; prefigures

transitive verb

1

: to show, suggest, or announce by an antecedent type, image, or likeness

2

: to picture or imagine beforehand

prefigurement

ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər-mənt 

 especially British  -ˈfi-gə-

noun

Synonyms

• adumbrate
• forerun
• foreshadow
• harbinger
• herald

Examples of prefigure in a Sentence

His style of painting prefigured the development of modern art.

the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring

Recent Examples on the Web

Cromwell is at the peak of his power, but the opening shot of Anne on her way to her death prefigures his own fall at the hands of the capricious royal. —Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025

And then: How Democrats lost their way on immigration Elon Musk’s war on federal employees is bad math The mystery novel that prefigured the L.A. wildfires Mikey Madison. —Erin Neil, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

The landing also prefigured grander Chinese lunar ambitions. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2021

The widescreen, 35mm format prefigured IMAX and other high-density imagery in a way that still stuns on screen. —John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praefigurare, from Latin prae- pre- + figurare to shape, picture, from figura figure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prefigure

• configure
• disfigure
• figure
• reconfigure

Kids Definition

prefigure

verb

pre·​fig·​ure (ˈ)prē-ˈfig-yər 

 especially British  -ˈfig-ər

1

: to show, suggest, or announce by an earlier type, image, or likeness

the first crocus prefigures the arrival of spring

2

: to picture or imagine beforehand

prefigure the outcome of the game

prefiguration

(ˌ)prē-ˌfig-(y)ə-ˈrā-shən

noun

prefigurement

(ˈ)prē-ˈfig-yər-mənt 

 especially British  -ˈfig-ər-

noun