What does "forerunner" mean?
A runner at the front or ahead.
Forerunner
noun
noun ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A runner at the front or ahead.
- Grammar: forerunner is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: harbinger, precursor, predecessor, advertisement.
- Useful contrasts: follower, lagger, late runner.
- Usage evidence: The crocus is a forerunner of spring.
How to use "forerunner"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "forerunner" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "forerunner" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "forerunner" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "forerunner" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "forerunner" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "harbinger" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "forerunner", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A runner at the front or ahead.
- 2 something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone wordnet
- 3 By extension, a non-competitor who leads out the competitors on to the circuit, or who runs/rides the course prior to competitor trials, usually testing or checking the way.
- 4 a person who goes before or announces the coming of another wordnet
- 5 A precursor or harbinger, a warning ahead.
"How meek and shrunken did that haughty Tarmac become as it slunk by the wide circle of asphalt of the yellow sort, that was loosely strewn before the great iron gates of Lady Hall as a forerunner of the consideration that awaited the guests of Rupert, Earl of Kare, […]."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 anything that precedes something similar in time wordnet
- 7 A forebear, an ancestor, a predecessor.
"Bakelite is a forerunner of today's plastics."
- 8 A postage stamp used in the time before a region or area issues stamps of its own.
Example
"The crocus is a forerunner of spring."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "forerunner"?
Common synonyms include: harbinger, precursor, predecessor, advertisement, advertiser, ancestor.
How do you use "forerunner" in a sentence?
The crocus is a forerunner of spring.
Etymology
From Middle English forrenner, foreriner. Calque of Latin praecursor (“one who runs before, a forerunner”). Equivalent to fore- + runner and/or forerun + -er.