prequel

American  

[pree-kwuhl] / ˈpri kwəl /

noun

• prequels
  plural

1. a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by portraying the same characters at a younger age.

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prequel British  

/ ˈpriːkwəl /

noun

1. a film or book about an earlier stage of a story or a character's life, released because the later part of it has already been successful

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prequels
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of prequel

First recorded in 1970–75; pre- + (se)quel

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Explanation

A prequel is an installment in a series of books or movies which describes action that occurred in the past, before the original. Monsters University, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace are famous film prequels. The word prequel is most often used for movies, along with sequel, the follow-up to the initial story. Filmmakers sometimes like to fill in background information with a prequel, though fans often complain that prequels don't live up to the original (think of the original Star Wars films and their prequels, for example). The earliest known use of prequel described a 1958 installment of a science fiction story, and the word was common by the 1970s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prequel prequels

A younger version of the character, played by Connie Jenkins-Greig, also appeared in the “Queen Charlotte” prequel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Tune in to House of the Dragon: After a slog of a second season, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel is back with a surprisingly enjoyable third season.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

The other contenders for best drama include Keri Russell's political soap opera "The Diplomat," spy series "Slow Horses" and "Game of Thrones" prequel "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Andor, a prequel to the standalone Star Wars film Rogue One, tells the story of Cassian Andor and his fight against the evil empire.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Starring charismatic newcomer Lexi Minetree, this formulaic prequel follows the blond protagonist as a high school student.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

In an exceptional level of productivity, Sheridan received sole writing credit on almost every episode of “Yellowstone,” plus its two prequels “1883” and “1923.”

From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026

The path these men blazed led to the endless sequels and prequels, remakes and reboots, churned out by the corporate-owned, IP-obsessed studios of the 2020s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

But it’s even rarer that a franchise needs multiple prequels, as is the case with “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” a follow-up to 2023’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026

“The Long Walk” is directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed most of “The Hunger Games” films and prequels, and is scripted by JT Mollner, who wrote and directed 2023’s pop noir “Strange Darling.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025

“You haven’t seen the prequels or the original trilogy? The podrace? Young Luke? This is a travesty. We have to fix that.”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

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