Thesaurus results for PREFIGURE

prefigure

verb

ˌprē-ˈfi-gyər

Definition of prefigure

as in to foreshadow

to give a slight indication of beforehand the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example 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 Projected on an obelisk, this narrowest of histories prefigured the commemorative distortions to follow. — Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026 Alpina was acquired by BMW in 2022, and the first hint of its future was revealed in the form of the Vision BMW Alpina—a design study which prefigures the brand’s new model, which will go to production next year. — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 May 2026 That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis. — Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026 The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead. — Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prefigure

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigure

Verb

But a narrow overtime loss to the Detroit Lions in the season opener foreshadowed the difficult road ahead.

— Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
And the angelic youth Dorian Gray’s deadly descent into vanity and vice—ignited by a hubristic obsession with his own image—eerily foreshadows the grim trajectory of Wilde’s later years.

— Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of foreshadow

Verb

Sullivan has evolved into the stardom predicted for him since his days kicking the ball around with his brothers inside and outside of his northeast Philadelphia home.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
The playoff projections are based on a Monte Carlo simulation, a computation of random sampling used to predict outcomes, of the 2026 season.

— Loren Maxwell, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of predict

Verb

Truist hiked its Meta Platforms price target to $1,000 from $763, implying almost 35% upside from yesterday's close.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
It was implied that the residency would draw upon multiple bonds that the band has built with the venue, the city, and the surrounding Bay Area fanbase over the years.

— Benjy Eisen, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of imply

Verb

When drugmakers Merck and Moderna announced promising results in August from a late-stage trial of adding an mRNA cancer vaccine to immunotherapy, it was heralded as potentially powerful new way of fighting tumors.

— STAT Staff, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
But Futura Sciences reports that the plant was heralded as something of a miracle in the 1930s, when soil erosion devastated wild swaths of farmland in the South, following the Dust Bowl.

— Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of herald

Verb

The Duo could also prove more accessible than some industry watchers had anticipated.

— MacKenzie Sigalos,Kif Leswing, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Some strategists, anticipating that the committee may raise flags, now try to get ahead of the process by submitting additional documentation, including filmmaker quotes and source materials, to explain why a film belongs in its intended category.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of anticipate

Browse Nearby Words

prefers

prefigure

prefigured

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prefigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigure. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of prefigure

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes