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# forerunner

noun (a forerunner, forerunners)

«forerunner» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A forerunner is a person or thing that came before another and led the way for it: «The abacus was a forerunner of the calculator». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#m1)
2. A forerunner can be a sign that something is about to happen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#m2)

### In the lessons

In history and technology lessons, forerunners show how inventions grew: Babbage's engines were forerunners of computers; the penny-farthing was a forerunner of the modern bicycle. In the Bible and church, John the Baptist is called the forerunner of Jesus. Phrases: «a forerunner of», «the forerunner to».

### Examples

- The abacus was a forerunner of the calculator. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x1)
- The gramophone was a forerunner of today's music players. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x2)
- Christians call John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x3)
- Dark clouds are often the forerunner of a storm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x4)
- This early plane was a forerunner of the jumbo jet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x5)
- The Romans' roads were forerunners of modern motorways. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/#x6)

### Note

Similar: predecessor, ancestor, pioneer. Plural: forerunners.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «forerunner» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/forerunner/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«forerunner» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/forerunner.html) on Mova free.