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.

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predecessor British  

/ ˈpriːdɪˌsɛsə /

noun

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

2. something that precedes something else

3. an ancestor; forefather

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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

Leo's predecessor Francis spent weeks there for treatment before his death last year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Artist Tala Madani, co-chair of the museum’s artist council, which meets regularly with institutional leadership, said Ryan’s arrival has been seamless in that she has not seen “a notable shift” between Ryan and her predecessor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

But as it stands, it shares plenty of styling features with its famous predecessor.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The records available for his predecessor, Greg Abbott, show a stark difference: Abbott traveled mostly within the state as attorney general, and his security cost $203,000 during his last three years in the office.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Then when her ready cash was gone, had come Who Flung to denounce his predecessor as a scoundrel and took up around the house himself.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Unlike his predecessors under intense pressure from the street, he has nothing to give.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Slump-shouldered where their 20th-century technological predecessors were giddy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

As of last week, 104 laws have been enacted in the current Congress, putting it on pace for fewer than any of its predecessors since the Civil War.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Like its Soviet predecessors, the Viking landing maneuver involved an ablation shield, a parachute and retro-rockets.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• ancestor
• forebear