as in to foreshadow
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prefigure
The index, which measures wholesale prices – and thus generally prefigures changes in the CPI – was unchanged in September from August, defying expectations from a Dow Jones survey of a 0.1% increase.
—
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2024
Westchester County during the Revolutionary War prefigured the Wild West before that concept had entered a dime novelist’s mind.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The film, with a screenplay by Buck Henry, is a biting satire of the American tabloid mentality and in some ways prefigures the contemporary reality-show mind-set of fame at whatever cost.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
But the unleashing of ethnic nationalisms amid imperial collapse and global conflict saw the genocidal massacre of Armenians and prefigured the new republic.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prefigure 
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2024
Westchester County during the Revolutionary War prefigured the Wild West before that concept had entered a dime novelist’s mind.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The film, with a screenplay by Buck Henry, is a biting satire of the American tabloid mentality and in some ways prefigures the contemporary reality-show mind-set of fame at whatever cost.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2024
But the unleashing of ethnic nationalisms amid imperial collapse and global conflict saw the genocidal massacre of Armenians and prefigured the new republic.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prefigure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure
Verb
-
Daniel Spoerri’s Crap Chancellery showcases two piles of poop on pedestals that foreshadow today’s emoji fascination.Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
-
Audiences may never have a definitive answer, but Chase has made many indications that Tony never made it out of that diner. Were clues about the finale foreshadowed in The Sopranos?Skyler Trepel, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Zillow predicts home prices in the top five hottest markets will grow between 2.6 percent and 4.2 percent in 2025.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
-
Flutter predicts that the total U.S. market will grow to $63 billion by 2030, up more than 50% from its previous forecast in 2022.Robert Olsen, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Does this imply that the labor market will remain solid throughout 2025?Harry Holzer, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
-
The incident implied that lawmakers were complicit in the development and deployment of Lumon’s technology, which is controversial among the general public.Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The Return was heralded as one of the best shows of the year, and certain journals like Cahiers du cinéma and Sight & Sound considered it among the best films of 2017 despite its length.Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025
-
The two men were heralded by Democrats as patriots for speaking out and derided by Trump as insubordinate.Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Meteorologists anticipate strong Santa Ana winds to persist for another week, elevating the risk of more wildfires and the rapid growth of active blazes.Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Stage 5: Leading In this rare air, organizations will anticipate future AI developments and their potential impacts.Chris Stegh, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near prefigure
Cite this Entry
“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share