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
Much like his predecessor, new Aurora Mayor John Laesch chose to focus on diversity and unity at his big night on Tuesday.
—
Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
The moment came after Obama, Biden and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel had a friendly conversation onstage where the president fielded genial questions from his predecessor and the comedian that highlighted his political and legislative achievements.
—Anna Commander
sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
However, after a couple of years working on the project, Molina ultimately wasn't the one to see it to the finish line, as he was beamed up to co-direct Coco 2 (after co-directing its 2017 predecessor).
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
Supporters would not respond well to such triumphalism if defeats come more regularly, and as his predecessor Gary O’Neil found, such feel-good sentiments do not take long to dissipate.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
The moment came after Obama, Biden and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel had a friendly conversation onstage where the president fielded genial questions from his predecessor and the comedian that highlighted his political and legislative achievements.
—Anna Commander
sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
However, after a couple of years working on the project, Molina ultimately wasn't the one to see it to the finish line, as he was beamed up to co-direct Coco 2 (after co-directing its 2017 predecessor).
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 May 2025
Supporters would not respond well to such triumphalism if defeats come more regularly, and as his predecessor Gary O’Neil found, such feel-good sentiments do not take long to dissipate.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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The case was the forerunner to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno’s decision to snatch Elián from his cousin’s Little Havana home and reunite him with his dad in Cuba.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
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Most of the forerunners of modern Zionism saw themselves as secular.—
Tamir Sorek,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, our ancient ancestors used a variety of different substances as sunscreen to protect themselves.—
Monica Cull,
Discover Magazine,
1 May 2025
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The creature was an early common ancestor of platypuses and echidnas and the scientists used advanced scanning techniques to take a look at the bone's internal microstructure.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvator Dalí was a key proponent.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
8 May 2025
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Back then, President Barack Obama cancelled the space agency’s Constellation program—the precursor of Artemis, which was aiming to have bootprints back on the moon as early as 2015.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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