as in to herald
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the moral decay that traditionally foreruns the decline of a mighty empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerun
Verb
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In Qatar four years ago, Ronaldo not starting that tie against Switzerland seemed to herald the end of his international career.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026 -
There are also celebrations heralding the Year of the Horse in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana on Saturday.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But given the massive investments well over 150 public companies have made in Bitcoin, the token’s recent downturn could indeed foreshadow difficult days ahead as investors desperately try to cut their losses.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Bryce Huff trade in the 2025 offseason foreshadowed the shortfall at edge rusher that led to the midseason acquisition of Jaelan Phillips.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Longitudinal studies across diverse populations will be needed to assess whether shifts in the oral microbiome can predict future weight gain, insulin resistance, or cardiometabolic decline, and perhaps most excitingly, whether modifying one's oral ecosystem alters systemic metabolic markers.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
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Huntington predicted that a new conflict would rage after the demise of Communism.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Seattle is currently +800 (8-to-1) to win a second straight title, implying a roughly 11 percent chance of a repeat.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bank's forecast implies upside of 98% from Friday's close.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, so anticipated was Vonn’s race that the IOC rescheduled its daily media briefing with reporters to avoid conflicting with the women’s downhill.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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While anticipated, the cutbacks were deeper than expected, resulting in the shutdown of the Post’s renowned sports section, the elimination of its photography staff and sharp reductions in personnel responsible for coverage of metropolitan Washington and overseas.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In between, works by contemporaries complicate superficial ideas about his meteoric genius, and small, delicate drawings teem with an abundance of ideas — paintings never made, thoughts adumbrated then abandoned.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
18 Oct. 2019
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Nothing in America’s tepid 19th-century contributions to European classical music adumbrated it; nor did the homely and sometimes hokey popular songs of Stephen Foster.—
Heather Mac Donald,
National Review,
22 Aug. 2019
Verb
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Military action in Venezuela today without allies may prefigure action tomorrow against allies—for example, to invade and annex Greenland.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
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Chess by telegraph also prefigured chess played through other means of telecommunications.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
11 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Forerun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forerun. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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