prequel

[ pree-kwuhl ]

/ ˈpri kwəl /

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noun

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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of prequel

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

Words nearby prequel

prepubescent, prepublication, prepublish, prepuce, prepupa, prequel, Pre-Raphaelite, prereading, prerecord, prerecorded, prerelease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prequel in a sentence

Tony Soprano, one of the greatest characters in TV history, gets an origin story in this prequel to The Sopranos on HBO Max.
The 23 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2021|Andrew R. Chow|August 26, 2021|Time
As with the recently released antiheroic prequel “Cruella” — whose director, Craig Gillespie, helmed the pilot — self-actualization means letting oneself embrace one’s darker impulses.
Dark comedy ‘Physical’ is a deliciously sour cocktail of sweat, tears and female aspiration|Inkoo Kang|June 17, 2021|Washington Post
It’s a prequel to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the classic 1975 film.
TV’s queer explosion|Joey DiGuglielmo|March 10, 2021|Washington Blade
NBC’s prematurely canceled cult favorite Hannibal, which ran for three seasons beginning in 2013, was a Silence prequel updated to the 21st century.
CBS' Silence of the Lambs Sequel Clarice Robs a Unique Franchise of Its Personality|Judy Berman|February 11, 2021|Time

As I learned in the prequel, “A Zoo in My Luggage,” the British naturalist was building a zoo on Jersey, in the Channel Islands, and needed residents.
In ‘The Whispering Land,’ a British naturalist collects travel tales — and animals with tails — in Argentina|Andrea Sachs|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Only one other Star Wars film has earned a PG-13 rating, the 2005 prequel Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But David Simon said, ‘It can’t be a sequel, it has to be a prequel.
Dominic West Talks ‘The Wire’ Movie, Prince Harry, and Why He’s Opposed to Scottish Independence|Marlow Stern|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But we could see him pop up in the Breaking Bad prequel/spin-off Better Call Saul.
Bryan Cranston on Walter White’s Future, Directing ‘Better Call Saul,’ and Hillary 2016|Marlow Stern|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What did you think of that hilarious Internet theory that Breaking Bad was an elaborate prequel to Malcolm in the Middle?
Bryan Cranston on Walter White’s Future, Directing ‘Better Call Saul,’ and Hillary 2016|Marlow Stern|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This lawsuit is like a horrible sequel—or possibly a prequel, depending on timing—to the upcoming Benghazi hearings.
Obama Should Counter John Boehner’s Lawsuit—and Here’s How He Can Do It|Dean Obeidallah|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for prequel

prequel

/ (ˈpriːkwəl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for prequel

C20: from pre- + (se) quel

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

prequel

Origin of prequel

Words nearby prequel

Words related to prequel

How to use prequel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prequel

Word Origin for prequel