1. people who held a job or position before someone else
Usage: plural form of predecessor
2. things that came before and were replaced by something else
Usage: plural form of predecessor

Examples

• The new CEO studied the strategies of her predecessors.
• Unlike his predecessors, the mayor focused on environmental issues.
• The smartphone’s predecessors included pagers and early cell phones.
• These ancient tools were predecessors to modern farming equipment.
• The company’s current success builds on the work of its predecessors.
• Medieval castles were predecessors to modern fortifications.