definitions
  • synonyms

forerunner

[ fawr-ruhn-er, fohr-, fawr-ruhn-er, fohr- ]
/ ˈfɔrˌrʌn ər, ˈfoʊr-, fɔrˈrʌn ər, foʊr- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forerunner ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

predecessor; ancestor; forebear; precursor.
an omen, sign, or indication of something to follow; portent: The warm evenings were a forerunner of summer.
a person who goes or is sent in advance to announce the coming of someone or something that follows; herald; harbinger.
the Forerunner, John the Baptist.

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RELATED WORDS

precursor, originator, harbinger, prognostic, author, announcer, advocate, envoy, pioneer, progenitor, prototype, ancestor, advertiser, initiator, predecessor, antecedent, omen, announcement, pattern, augury

Nearby words

forepole, forequarter, forequarters, forereach, forerun, forerunner, foresaddle, foresaid, foresail, foresee, foreseeable

Origin of forerunner

First recorded in 1250–1300, forerunner is from the Middle English word forrenner. See fore-, runner
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for forerunner

British Dictionary definitions for forerunner

forerunner

/ (ˈfɔːˌrʌnə) /

noun

a person or thing that precedes another; precursor
a person or thing coming in advance to herald the arrival of someone or something; harbinger
an indication beforehand of something to follow; omen; portent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for forerunner

forerunner

n.

c.1300, from fore + runner. Middle English rendition of Latin praecursor, in reference to John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ. The Old English word was foreboda.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper