1
as in precursors
one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another
the return of the swallows is traditionally regarded as a forerunner of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ancestors
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
enjoyed the demonstration of the simple hand loom that was the forerunner of today's computer-controlled looms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forerunners
The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.
—
ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
These were the forerunners of today’s robots.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
And these projects may just be the forerunners.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026
Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The primacy of a central meeting space can be traced to the Greek Empire with the agora, among other forerunners.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.
—Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
These were the forerunners of today’s robots.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
And these projects may just be the forerunners.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026
Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The primacy of a central meeting space can be traced to the Greek Empire with the agora, among other forerunners.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.
—Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerunners
Noun
-
In March, state media reported that China arrested seven people in an operation targeting traffickers of fentanyl precursors, according to the Reuters news agency.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Such engravings, which depict the wackily maximalist style à la mode, including oodles of feathers and furbelows, were, in essence, early precursors to modern fashion magazines.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
However, some species occasionally behave in ways that recall their land-curious evolutionary ancestors.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Your hamburger’s ancestors are extinct.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If popular wine auction results are truly harbingers of pendulum swings in the world of wine, then Cabernet Franc is having a moment.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
-
These harbingers of doom turn out to be on to something, because shortly after, the couple are in an accident in which Jakob is killed.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Samsung Smartphone Deal The Galaxy Z Fold7 redefines the foldable experience by becoming both wider and slimmer than its predecessors, and providing 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to support its massive 8-inch main screen.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The novel, Lerner’s shortest to date, is a chamber piece, more compressed and crystallized than any of its predecessors.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After years of competing for quarters in the arcades, two of the heralds of the video game age are working in tandem.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The movie heralds from FilmNation Entertainment’s production label Infrared, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, and Assemble Media.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Photos of him in frames with hearts and angels wings dotted the shelves.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The lyrics of their earlier tracks are dotted with images of angels and other elements of the divine.—
Colin Joyce,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His deputies and outriders are not quite so deft.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Churchill Downs outriders, jockey agents, jockeys Florent Geroux and Julian Leperoux, as well as members of Lukas' barn staff also sat in the crowd.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
Louisville Courier Journal,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Oil steadied and Asian stocks were mostly trading lower Tuesday as signs of a de-escalation of the Iran war remained mixed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forerunners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forerunners. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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