If you describe a person or thing as the forerunnerof someone or something similar, you mean they existed before them and either influencedtheir development or were a sign of what was going to happen.
...a machine which, in some respects, was the forerunner of the modern helicopter. [+ of]
Some respiratory symptoms can be the forerunners of asthma.
Synonyms: omen, sign, indication, token More Synonyms of forerunner
More Synonyms of forerunner
forerunner in British English
(ˈfɔːˌrʌnə)
noun
1.
a person or thing that precedes another; precursor
2.
a person or thing coming in advance to herald the arrival of someone or something; harbinger
3.
an indication beforehand of something to follow; omen; portent
forerunner in American English
(ˈfɔrˌrʌnər; fɔrˈrʌnər)
noun
1.
a person sent before or going before to announce or prepare the way for another or for something to follow; herald
2.
a sign that tells or warns of something to follow; prognostic
3.
a.
a predecessor
b.
an ancestor
Word origin
ME forerenner, after L praecursor
Examples of 'forerunner' in a sentence
forerunner
It's the forerunner of the modern music video.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She was my first mount for what was the forerunner of today 's mighty Godolphin operation.
Frankie Dettori with Jonathan Powell FRANKIE: The Autobiography of Frankie Dettori (2004)
An early forerunner of the electric, it looks like a Spanish guitar with a saucepan lid fitted into the top.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
In other languages
forerunner
British English: forerunner NOUN
If you describe a person or thing as the forerunner of someone or something similar, you mean they existed before them and were a sign of what was going to happen.
...a machine which, in some respects, was the forerunner of the modern helicopter.
American English: forerunner
Brazilian Portuguese: precursor
Chinese: 先驱
European Spanish: precursor
French: précurseur
German: Vorläufer
Italian: precursore
Japanese: 先駆者
Korean: 선구자
European Portuguese: precursor
Latin American Spanish: precursor
Chinese translation of 'forerunner'
forerunner
(ˈfɔːrʌnəʳ)
n(c)
the forerunner of ... 的前身 ( ... de qiánshēn)
1 (noun)
Definition
a person or thing that is a sign of what will happen in the future
Some respiratory symptoms can be the forerunners of asthma.
Synonyms
omen
Her appearance at this moment is an omen of disaster.
sign
It is a sign of things to come.
indication
He gave no indication that he was ready to compromise.
token
He sent her a gift as a token of his appreciation.
premonition
the first premonition of winter
portent
This is a frightening portent for the future.
augury
The auguries of death are gathering around him.
prognostic
foretoken
harbinger (literary)
a harbinger of winter
2 (noun)
Definition
a person or thing that existed or happened before another and is similar in some way
Quince jam was the forerunner of marmalade.
Synonyms
precursor
Real tennis, a precursor of the modern game, originated in the eleventh century.
predecessor
He learned everything he knew from his predecessor.
ancestor
He could trace his ancestors back seven hundred years.
prototype
forebear
I'll come back to the land of my forebears.
progenitor
the man who is considered the progenitor of modern drama
herald (literary)
I welcome the report as the herald of more freedom, not less.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ancestor
Definition
a person in former times from whom one is descended
He could trace his ancestors back seven hundred years.