predecessor

American  

[pred-uh-ses-er, pred-uh-ses-er, pree-duh-ses-er] / ˈprɛd əˌsɛs ər, ˌprɛd əˈsɛs ər, ˈpri dəˌsɛs ər /

noun

• predecessors
  plural

1. a person who precedes another in an office, position, etc.

2. something succeeded or replaced by something else.

   The new monument in the park is more beautiful than its predecessor.

3. Archaic. an ancestor; forefather.

---

predecessor British  

/ ˈpriːdɪˌsɛsə /

noun

1. a person who precedes another, as in an office

2. something that precedes something else

3. an ancestor; forefather

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• predecessors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of predecessor

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English predecessour, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin praedēcessor, from Latin prae- pre- + dēcessor “retiring official” (equivalent to dēcēd(ere) “to withdraw” + -tor -tor; see de-, cede)

Explanation

A predecessor is something that came before the current version. The person you replaced at work is your predecessor, just like Pac Man is the predecessor of modern video games. If you break the word predecessor down to its Latin roots, you get pre, meaning "beforehand," and decessor, which means "retiring officer." So that's how we get to our definition of "someone who has held an office or position before the present holder." But predecessors aren't just found in the business world: these days predecessors include our ancestors, earlier car models, and all kinds of other forerunners.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

predecessor predecessors

There were few jokes - and in stark contrast to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's speech last year, he did not mention Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch once.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Cracker Barrel guided for sales to tick up this year as its new chief executive officer stands by a strategy put in place by his predecessor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Jackson has had difficulty generating the same enthusiasm among voters as his predecessor, Platner, who consistently held town halls across the state and had a viral social media presence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Like his predecessor Brendon McCullum, Fleming is from New Zealand, the "little cousin" to Australia, in his words.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

In temperament, Gaines was the complete opposite of his predecessor, for just as John Wilkins had been dubbed Darth Vader by some of those who worked for him, so Gaines was privately called Luke Skywalker.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Sixth-generation aircraft will likely include more advanced stealth features than their fifth-generation predecessors, sensors that use artificial intelligence and be armed with lasers or hypersonic weapons, according to the Congressional Research Service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

German voters' ardour for him started lower and fell faster than any of his predecessors.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Unlike several of his predecessors, who made their first international trips to the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

That’s because legacy sequels rarely take the risks they need to stand alone, worth considering apart from their predecessors.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Composers of the mid- to late-eighteenth century limited themselves to a small choice of chords partly as a reaction to the harmonic style of their predecessors, but also to emphasise the primacy of the melody.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• ancestor
• forebear