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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of predecessor
Like its predecessors, the upcoming film follows an ensemble desperate to avoid a grisly end, after managing to escape the clutches of Death thanks to one person's premonition.
—
Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Maryland, where Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, had success in appointing new federal judges, has become a popular venue for lawsuits against the Trump administration.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Lately, it's also become politically charged, with President Donald Trump blaming his predecessor for their lengthy stay.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Earlier this week, Intel announced Tan was filling the role left vacant when the board ousted his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2025
Maryland, where Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, had success in appointing new federal judges, has become a popular venue for lawsuits against the Trump administration.
—Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
Lately, it's also become politically charged, with President Donald Trump blaming his predecessor for their lengthy stay.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Earlier this week, Intel announced Tan was filling the role left vacant when the board ousted his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The ancestors of tens of millions of Americans left miserable lives in Ireland for initially difficult ones here.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
-
The flights will begin before Chuseok (October 15), also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, which celebrates both the harvest and their ancestors.—
Brandon Withrow,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In addition, neighborhoods would no longer be required — as a precursor to meters — to test out two-hour and three-hour parking zones enforced by chalking tires instead of meters.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Directed by Arthur Penn, who brought a bold visual style, frank sexuality and graphic, balletic violence to a Hollywood dominated by optimistic pictures, this countercultural romance served as a precursor to the generational tension and mistrust in authority that was quietly pervading the country.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share