as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prefigure
This early embrace of mechanical rhythm prefigured what would later become a foundation of hip-hop and electronic music.
—
Jose Valentino Ruiz, The Conversation, 13 June 2025
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
It is also prefigured (another Biblical device) by Pharaoh’s order, in Exodus, to kill all male babies born to Hebrew mothers.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Its extreme hostility to the very idea of liberal governance, its skepticism of democracy, and its faith in the primacy of the wealthy over the law all prefigured the way that Trump and Elon Musk would assail key functions of government in 2025.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Jose Valentino Ruiz, The Conversation, 13 June 2025
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
It is also prefigured (another Biblical device) by Pharaoh’s order, in Exodus, to kill all male babies born to Hebrew mothers.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Its extreme hostility to the very idea of liberal governance, its skepticism of democracy, and its faith in the primacy of the wealthy over the law all prefigured the way that Trump and Elon Musk would assail key functions of government in 2025.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure
Verb
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Moreover, the film is also a vision of a time pregnant with radical change, with Michèle’s dramatic leap off course foreshadowing the imminent crisis of the Francosphere.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
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That report speaks to inflation being a legitimate issue and could be foreshadowing a hotter CPI number.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before all that happened, though, there was the eight-course dinner, which went totally fine as predicted.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
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Explore Fall, a website that provides resources and tools to track the changing colors of leaves, is predicting an earlier and quicker fall foliage peak for the millions of people looking to see this year's natural spectacle.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That implies an attractive 40% upside from current levels.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Leerink's price target of $77 implies shares could surge 119% from Monday's close.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pic heralds from György Pálfi, whose film Taxerdermia premiered at Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard in 2006 and Final Cut – Ladies & Gentleman screened in Cannes Classics in 2012.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
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To get ahead and be heralded as truly talented will continue to be an uphill battle for trans people.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Webb regularly shares videos of Kota's antics on social media, but this heartwarming video of Kota's reaction has certainly captured far more attention than anticipated.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Economists polled by FactSet had been anticipating a minor improvement in consumer sentiment from August.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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