Definition

Noun: 1. A person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of another: A forerunner is a precursor or a herald that announces or signals the future arrival of something or someone else. 2. A person or thing that precedes something similar in time; a predecessor: A forerunner is an earlier version, model, or ancestor of a later, more developed form.

Usage Examples

• As a precursor/herald:
  • The dark clouds were a forerunner of the coming storm.
  • He is considered a forerunner of the modern environmental movement.
• As a predecessor/early version:
  • The telegraph was a forerunner of today's instant messaging.
  • This simple device is a forerunner to the sophisticated computers we use now.

Advanced Usage

• "A forerunner to/of": This is the standard prepositional phrase used to connect the forerunner to what follows it.
  • Her early research was a forerunner to the groundbreaking discovery.
  • The ancient Olympic Games were a forerunner of the modern international event.

Variants and Related Words

• Forerun (verb, archaic): To run before; to precede. This verb form is rarely used in modern English.
• Harbinger (noun): A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another; very similar to the first meaning of "forerunner."
  • The first robin is often seen as a harbinger of spring.
• Precursor (noun): A person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner. This is a close synonym.
  • These protests were a precursor to the revolution.

Synonyms

• Predecessor: One that precedes, especially in a job or position.
• Herald: An official messenger bringing news, or a sign that something is about to happen.
• Antecedent: A thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another.
• Pioneer: A person who is among the first to explore or settle a new area, or to develop a new idea.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To pave the way for: To create a situation that makes it possible or easier for something to happen. This phrase describes the of a forerunner.
  • Their work paved the way for future advances in medicine.
• A sign of things to come: This phrase describes something that acts as a forerunner, indicating future events.
  • The small protest was a sign of things to come.

Noun

1. anything that precedes something similar in time
   • phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience
2. something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone
3. a person who goes before or announces the coming of another