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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
“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
To test the feature, I turned on the multiband GPS setting on the Forerunner 255S while simultaneously recording runs with the Apple Watch Series 7 and the Runkeeper app on my phone.
From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2022
The 41mm Forerunner 255S is comfortable and doesn’t look ridiculous on my tiny wrists.
From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2022
Besides some refreshed colorways, the Forerunner 255 lineup looks nearly identical to its predecessor.
From The Verge • Jun. 17, 2022
I offer Thee as intercessors all the saints: the leaders of the bodiless hosts, Thy Forerunner, the wise apostles, and Thy pure and blameless Mother.
From Orthodox Daily Prayers by Anonymous
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.
