prototypes

plural of prototype
1
as in examples
one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like a literary character who is regarded as the prototype of the fanatical and intolerant pursuer of justice

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2
as in forerunners
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed the Greek epic that is the prototype of the hero myth

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3
as in originals
something from which copies are made the manufacturer exhaustively tested the prototype of the vehicle before approving production

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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 prototypes Contract value and timeline remain undisclosed Raytheon’s October 15 announcement did not disclose the value of the award, the specific sites involved in its work, or a completion date for the prototypes and subsequent deployments. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Alla has worked under three successive creative directors at Celine, and is now one of 50 people making runway prototypes and custom VIP orders for Michael Rider and his design team. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 Having some of the coolest-looking cars racing today certainly helps, whether that’s the (mostly) hybrid prototypes or the GTs, racing versions of road-going cars from Porsche, Ferrari, and others. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 Conversely, Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing confidential documents and spying on hardware prototypes to help build its own products. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026 Experts said a no-bid consulting contract under a mechanism designed to secretly develop weapons prototypes was extraordinary. — Aaron Davis, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2026 Because product managers and designers can now build working prototypes and engineers can weigh in on product decisions earlier, the work doesn’t have to be passed from hand to hand. — Tim Lee, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Horvath says that there were many iterations of designs and prototypes developed to get ready for the exhibit. — Megan Fitzgerald, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 Dozens of companies are vying to complete designs, and early prototypes are under construction in Tennessee and Wyoming. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prototypes
Noun
  • Both examples demonstrate how local champions and an existing source of funding can help turn a lifesaving idea into reality.
    — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • One of the biggest examples came in 2024, when attackers targeted Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Rather than try to replicate his forerunners’ styles of success, Ternus has so far played to his own strengths—which are also those of Apple, a company that first and foremost builds beautiful products that spark productivity, creativity, and joy.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Fairphone Impressively, Fairphone's priced the Fairbuds 2 lower than what the originals cost at launch.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Another 24 new releases are lined up for the rest of the year; most of them originals (20) followed by new seasons (3) and a saga.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • To profile their activity in patients with SCLC, the researchers analyzed tumor samples and non-affected biopsies from a dozen patients using single-cell RNA sequencing and immunophenotyping.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There, an ominous cloud settled over Holden’s every word, with a stream of samples that made the beats feel textured and lush.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Ng, who is Jo Henderson’s oncologist, noted that her previous research found that women who ate more ultraprocessed foods had a higher risk of colon polyps that can be precursors to cancer.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But Netanyahu’s government wanted the existing framework kept intact, according to multiple sources who spoke to TIME, including an Israeli official and an international diplomat.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Russia's Ryazan oil refinery has suspended operations at a primary crude distillation unit after a drone attack in the region on Thursday, two industry sources told Reuters.
    — Arathy Somasekhar Reuters, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • These features lend his work an air of cruelty, making people seem like specimens in the hands of a researcher bound by no scientific ethics or norms.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Ghana and Namibia refused to sign up over concerns about data and specimens, while Zimbabwe lost all US health aid last month.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The changes would have affected the environments in which life developed and evolved, from the age of the dinosaurs through to some of our oldest primate ancestors.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In his view, Flagg Mountain’s fire-scarred stumps corroborate what his community already knew—that their ancestors used fire for centuries—and reinforce their sense of responsibility to care for the land.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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