forerunner
Americannoun
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predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor.
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an omen, sign, or indication of something to follow; portent.
The warm evenings were a forerunner of summer.
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a person who goes or is sent in advance to announce the coming of someone or something that follows; herald; harbinger.
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the Forerunner, John the Baptist.
noun
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a person or thing that precedes another; precursor
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a person or thing coming in advance to herald the arrival of someone or something; harbinger
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an indication beforehand of something to follow; omen; portent
Etymology
Origin of forerunner
First recorded in 1250–1300, forerunner is from the Middle English word forrenner. See fore-, runner
Explanation
A forerunner is someone or something that came before and paved the way for something today. Rotary phones were forerunners of today's complex cell phones. The prefix fore- in forerunner is a clue that this word has to do with things that came before. A forerunner is someone from the past who preceded someone today, making new things possible. In the NBA, players like Wilt Chamberlain were forerunners of centers who played later. Early, gigantic computers were forerunners of today's sleek sophisticated computers. George Washington was a forerunner of every US president who has served since. Make sure to thank forerunners for paving the way for the rest of us slackers.
Vocabulary lists containing forerunner
Power Prefix: fore-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: fore-
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Spooked
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The last-gen Garmin Forerunner 945 is $220 off at $379.99.
From The Verge • Jul. 12, 2022
“We’ve been in a long bull market,” said Kirsten Green, an investor with Forerunner Ventures, adding that the pullback was partly a reaction to that frenzied period of dealmaking, as well as to macroeconomic uncertainty.
From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2022
If multiband GPS is something you want, the Forerunner 255 watches are a steal.
From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2022
I’ve only had to charge the Forerunner 255S once in 25 days of use with roughly 30 minutes of GPS activity per day.
From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2022
There was a peculiar fascination to the Lord Jesus in those solitudes, because of their connection with the Forerunner.
From John the Baptist by Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
