as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
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Recent Examples of prefigure
These opulent volumes prefigure the label’s high jewelry offering.
—
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
And another is how aspects of our future may be prefigured in the desert’s past.
—Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025
Andersen’s story may have prefigured this moment, although no major actor in the war wants to be the boy.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
And another is how aspects of our future may be prefigured in the desert’s past.
—Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025
Andersen’s story may have prefigured this moment, although no major actor in the war wants to be the boy.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure
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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Analysts there predict a price war that could drive the cost of some weight-loss drugs down by as much as 90 percent in India – and possibly in other countries too.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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This was broadly in line with what polls had suggested, with Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun predicting that the LDP and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party would secure more then 300 seats in the Lower House.—
CNBC.com staff,
CNBC,
8 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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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
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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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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
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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