predecessors

noun

plural of predecessor
as in forerunners
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of predecessors Compared to its predecessors, though, Roman will be able to capture large portions of the universe without losing much detail. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Most of their predecessors understood caring for those who go in harm’s way as a sacred obligation. — Andrea N. Goldstein, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 While his predecessors have used the time to talk about broad policy goals, economists aren't sure if Warsh will follow suit. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 The Show 26, builds on the accomplishments of its predecessors. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026 The Warning were benefactors of this kind of sisterhood, finding open arms from predecessors like Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, as well as the Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen, and Lilith Czar. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 27 Aug. 2026 For decades, Mamdani’s predecessors have found the only choice more politically unpalatable than letting the whole three-layer cake of infrastructure crumble away is trying to stop it from crumbling. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Aug. 2026 Like one of his predecessors, Nuno Espirito Santo, Glasner is a hugely competitive player. — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
  1. forerunners
  2. ancestors
  3. precursors
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • Essay Get the Lead Out Alex Manley Our ancestors were born to die by predators.
    — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For the last decade, genealogical consultant Grant Din has helped Asian Americans find information about their ancestors, many of whom passed through San Francisco’s Angel Island Immigration Station in the 1900s.
    — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • The ideology of Third Worldism and the New Agey, anything-goes-style progressivism of the West Coast that Naipaul so keenly lacerates were necessary precursors to the mass death in Guyana.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Jack Kilby, the inventor of the integrated circuit, or microchip, and the handheld calculator—early precursors of AI.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of precursors

Browse Nearby Words

predecessor
predecessors
predestinate
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Cite this Entry

“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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