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
One of Olson’s predecessors as Central quarterback, Jake Dolegala, had NFL opportunities with the Bengals, Patriots, Packers and Dolphins in 2019, ’20 and ’21, and has been playing in the CFL the last several years.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
The center originally honored the late Buddy Kemp, former president of North Carolina National Bank, a predecessor to Bank of America.
—Chase Jordan
april 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite a measurable step up from its predecessor, DeepSeek’s V4 Pro still trails the front-runners in the latest benchmarks.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026
Like my predecessors, my life has been grounded in faith and fortitude.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
The center originally honored the late Buddy Kemp, former president of North Carolina National Bank, a predecessor to Bank of America.
—Chase Jordan
april 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite a measurable step up from its predecessor, DeepSeek’s V4 Pro still trails the front-runners in the latest benchmarks.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Apr. 2026
Like my predecessors, my life has been grounded in faith and fortitude.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predecessor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor
Noun
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Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.—
Chris Roush,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
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Hungary’s incoming premier today showed investors how austere he is compared to his forerunner.—
Jonathan Tirone,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Regardless of whether plans are rejigged, there will be plenty of pomp and circumstance for Charles, 77, as befitting a state visit of a British king to a country that his ancestors once ruled.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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By shedding heavy shells like those seen in early nautiloids and ammonites, the ancestors of modern octopuses traded passive defense for active offense.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The micro-drama, or duanju, emerged around 2018, and became popular on Douyin, the Chinese precursor to TikTok.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Then a guy named Jerry Harvey started Z Channel, the legendary precursor to HBO.—
Donald Liebenson,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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