forerunner

noun

fore·​run·​ner ˈfȯr-ˌrə-nər How to pronounce forerunner (audio)
1
: one that precedes and indicates the approach of another: such as
a
: a premonitory sign or symptom
b
: a skier who runs the course before the start of a race
2
Choose the Right Synonym for forerunner

forerunner, precursor, harbinger, herald mean one that goes before or announces the coming of another.

forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season
the herald of a new age in medicine

Examples of forerunner in a Sentence

a simple machine that was the forerunner of today's computers I had that strange feeling that's the forerunner of a cold.
Recent Examples on the Web And yet, young women born into this world of relative freedom still inherit some of the same social conditioning as their forerunners. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 Policymakers and industry leaders can work together to find the right guardrails for blockchain networks, just as their forerunners did for limited liability corporations. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 One point of reference was just down the road at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and its in-house Alto computer network, forerunners of the desktop. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The Manifesto made no claim to be the forerunner of a new paradigm in management generally. Steve Denning, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The Aryan Nations Liberty net became the forerunner of later networks like Stormfront and Vanguard News Network. TIME, 5 Feb. 2024 Given knowledge of the forecast, their eastward encroachment on this region seemed possibly portentous, as perhaps the forerunners of what was to come. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 This publication is especially timely because younger Americans are indeed proving more receptive to socialism than their forerunners. Amity Shlaes, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024 Images of Phaethon 3200 previously measured by NASA's Spitzer space telescope—the infrared forerunner to the James Web Space Telescope—have been reanalyzed by researchers from the University of Helsinki, who compared them to infrared data on meteorites studied in laboratories. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forerunner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of forerunner was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near forerunner

Cite this Entry

“Forerunner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forerunner. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

forerunner

noun
fore·​run·​ner -ˌrən-ər How to pronounce forerunner (audio)
1
: one going or sent before to give notice of the approach of others : harbinger
2

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