A messenger sent before to give notice of the approach of others; a harbinger; a sign foreshowing something; a prognostic; as, the forerunner of a fever.

one that precedes and indicates the approach of another[as found in Asimov, Anderson and other SF writers] That person or persons who pave the way for another's existence or accomplishment.

anything that precedes something similar in time; "phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience"

A stamp or postal stationery item used in a given location prior to the issuing of regular stamps for that location. Turkish stamps before 1918 cancelled in Palestine are forerunners of Israeli issues. So are the various European nations' issues for use in Palestine, and the subsequent issues of the Palestine Mandate. The term "forerunner" is also used to describe a stamp issued before another stamp or set, if the earlier issue may have influenced the design or purpose of the later issue.

In philately, a forerunner is a postage stamp used during the time period before a region or territory issues stamps of its own. Typically these will be stamps of the country administering a colony, but in some circumstances stamps of a previous regime have been pressed into service. Forerunners can only identified by the postmark, and very desirable on cover.

a racer, not registered in the current competition, who skis the course using appropriate racing technique before the registered competitors are started. Forerunners serve to verify the correct functioning of timing systems and to expose anomalies in the course set or course conditions that may require adjustment before the start of the competition.

The Forerunners are a fictional race of beings (not yet confirmed aliens) referred to in the Halo universe. Little is known about them, although certain things can be ascertained from hints located in the games and books. The alien alliance known as "The Covenant" exalts the Forerunners, even considering them demigods, but it is not known whether this is an earnest belief or simply religious propaganda spread by the Covenant's High Prophets.

A predecessor; an ancestor.

The third album by the Eastern-Canadian Celtic band The Cottars.

A piece of rag terminating the log line.

a person who goes before or announces the coming of another