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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prequels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prequel

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

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

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

The Minions try to make a monster movie in the latest ‘Despicable Me’ flick, ‘Legally Blonde’ gets a prequel series, Madonna returns with a new album, and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

The “Game of Thrones” prequel boasts many dragons, most of them bound to the Targaryen royal bloodline.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

The film “I Am Frankelda” is a prequel that explains the relationship between these characters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 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

“The Hunger Games: On Stage” is both an adaptation of Collins’ novel, which has spawned two sequels and two prequels, and Lionsgate’s 2012 film, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025

He has starred in several major studio franchises, including the aforementioned Marvel films and the “Star Wars” prequels.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 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