predecessorpre‧de‧ces‧sor /ˈpriːdəsesə $ ˈpredəsesər/ ●○○ noun [countable] 
Word Origin
Kennedy’s predecessor as president was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.2a machine, system etc that existed before another one in a process of development OPP successor: The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its predecessor.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINpredecessor
ExamplesOrigin:
1300-1400 French prédécesseur, from Late Latin, from Latin decedere ‘to go away, leave your job’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Sally's predecessor had warned her about Nick, one of the company vice-presidents.
- The new Corvette is only 1.2 inches longer than its predecessor.
- Vandenberg has been a more active director than his predecessor.
- As we have seen, pentecostalism has many predecessors.
- Eighteen of Clinton's predecessors deserved to be ranked in the top three categories, Morris suggested.
- Peres now has endorsed a plan favored by his assassinated predecessor, Yitzhak Rabin, that calls for strict segregation.
- Ramsey inherited a battle like this from his predecessor.
- The art owes much to its predecessor, kungfu, which was the root of its modern development.
- These new assistants are more intelligent than their predecessors.
- This pessimistic extreme is as foolish as its optimistic predecessor.
- This was why the last recession budget, in March 1981, differed from its predecessors.
Longman Language Activatorsomeone or something that existed before or that you had before► previous
Collocations the previous person or thing is the one that existed just before now or before the time you are talking about: · The car's previous owner didn't take very good care of it.· Please ignore my previous instructions.
► last the last thing or person is the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before now: · The last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one.· Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.
► ex-: ex-wife/ex-boyfriend/ex-soldier etc someone who used to be someone's wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not any more: · Her dad's an ex-policeman.· Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.
► old: somebody's old job/car/girlfriend/boss etc the job, car etc that someone had before the one they have now: · The new stadium is much bigger than the old one.· I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends.· We all liked the old teacher better.
► the one before the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentioned: · I didn't enjoy Spielberg's last film but I thought the one before was all right.· Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.
► former formal use this especially to talk about someone who used to have a particular job or position but does not any more: · Her former husband now lives in Houston.· Weinberger was an advisor to former president Ronald Reagan.
► predecessor formal someone's predecessor is the person who had the same job before them: · Vandenberg has been a more active director than his predecessor.· Sally's predecessor had warned her about Nick, one of the company vice-presidents.
► precursor formal someone whose ideas or style are later used by another more famous person, or an organization, movement or machine that later develops into one that is more important: precursor of/to: · The abacus was the precursor of the modern electronic calculator.· The Office of Strategic Services was the precursor of the CIA.
► forerunner the first person, organization, machine etc that existed before the one that exists now and that the one that exists now is based on: forerunner of: · The P-50 is a forerunner of today's supersonic jet.· Hansen played in the American Basketball League, a forerunner of the NBA.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► great
1someone who had your job before you started doing it OPP successor: · Dunstan, the greatest of his predecessors after Augustine, was still omitted.· His great predecessors made their marks with bold deeds.· Ironically, two great predecessors, Mallory and Irvine, died whilst attempting the same route in 1924.
► immediate· This, at least, suggested the possibility of other lands beyond those recognized by his immediate predecessor Hecataeus.· Politician, historian and writer of many biographies, he was our immediate predecessor, yielding the Green Study to me.· In some ways, however, Alexander was better prepared for the throne than either of his immediate predecessors.
Kennedy’s predecessor as president was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.2a machine, system etc that existed before another one in a process of development OPP successor: The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its predecessor.