predecessor to vs predecessor of

Both 'predecessor to' and 'predecessor of' are usable and understandable, but they are slightly different. 'Predecessor to' is used when referring to a person or thing that comes before another in a sequence or order, while 'predecessor of' is used when indicating the relationship between the predecessor and the successor. Both phrases are correct, but the choice between them depends on the context.

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Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: April 01, 2025 • 5257 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to a person or thing that comes before another in a sequence or order.

"predecessor to"

Use 'predecessor to' when indicating that one person or thing precedes another in a sequence or order. For example, 'John was the predecessor to Sarah in the role of manager.'

Examples:

He was the predecessor to the current CEO.
The rotary phone was the predecessor to the smartphone.
The horse-drawn carriage was the predecessor to the automobile.
The typewriter was the predecessor to the computer keyboard.
The cassette tape was the predecessor to the CD.

Show examples from the web [+]

the Enterprise-C, the immediate predecessor to this battleship.
Commissioner Tajani, that was something that we also called on your predecessor to do a year ago.
Is it an option for the Commission to revive the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA), which was a predecessor to the solution finally adopted?
Although the predecessor to this agreement was never actually concluded, this time, everyone involved seems to be confident.
The attempts by this Commission and its predecessor to give far more priority to competition than culture have fortunately been shelved recently, and in this respect, I think we can claim to have taken a positive step.
Is the Irish Presidency aware of the failure of its Italian predecessor to respond to the questions tabled by the many Members concerned by this issue?
In its opinion on the eEurope Action Plan, which is the predecessor to the proposed i2010 Action Plan, the EESC made several observations, including the following:
3.1 In its opinion on the eEurope Action Plan [4], which is the predecessor to the proposed i2010 Action Plan, the EESC made several observations, including the following:

Alternatives:

came before
preceded
forerunner to
antecedent to
earlier version of

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when indicating the relationship between the predecessor and the successor.

"predecessor of"

Use 'predecessor of' when specifying the relationship between the predecessor and the successor. For example, 'The rotary phone is the predecessor of the smartphone.'

Examples:

The current model is the predecessor of the previous one.
The typewriter is the predecessor of the computer keyboard.
The cassette tape is the predecessor of the CD.
The horse-drawn carriage is the predecessor of the automobile.
He is the predecessor of the new manager.

Show examples from the web [+]

Thus, the predecessor of Tieliikelaitos ('production part' of the former Road Service) was not subject to income tax.
Today, we salute the way in which Mr Padóa-Schioppa, the predecessor of the person whose candidature we are to examine, carried out his duties on the Executive Board.
I was involved in Belarus for five years myself, as predecessor of Mr Klich and chairman of the delegation.
Back in 1994 the then UCLAF - the predecessor of OLAF - set up a Cigarettes Task Force.
In other words, Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd, predecessor of Hynix, which was the only company found to have benefited from subsidies, increased its production capacity.
From the outset, major investments were needed in analytical tools, research and statistics to complement those already made by the European Monetary Institute (the predecessor of the ECB).
The monetary policy strategy was developed on the basis of extensive preparatory work carried out by the European Monetary Institute (the predecessor of the ECB).
Indeed, the predecessor of Tieliikelaitos, the Road Service within the Finnish administration, already had at its disposal the very same land and gravel sites.
The Safer Internet Programme, a predecessor of the programme which is now being launched, was considered a real success.
I agree with the predecessor of the present Commissioner, Chris Patten, who recently wrote that it is a misapprehension if we believe that we are helping the democrats by being soft, by not being candid and honest to Serbia.
In July 1999, the Commission carried out inspections at the headquarters of Interbrew (a predecessor of InBev) in Leuven (Belgium) following a complaint about a possible abuse of a dominant position.
(6) In October 1992, the German Treuhandanstalt (THA) sold the predecessor of KWW, the East German shipyard Neue Warnow Werft GmbH (hereafter WW) to the Norwegian industrial group Kvaerner a.s.
In October 1992, the German Treuhandanstalt (THA) sold the predecessor of KWW, the East German shipyard Neue Warnow Werft GmbH (hereafter WW) to the Norwegian industrial group Kvaerner a.s.
& appname; can also import GCfilms data files. GCfilms is the predecessor of GCstar and was an alternate movie collection manager. Normally, GCfilms data files are found in $HOME/. local/ share/ gcfilms/.
A day in which the loss of the lives of the predecessor of this boat Will be replaced with the memory of the larger boat, fast, and sophisticated ever built, the Titanic II
The predecessor of FSO had been in business in Poland since the 1950s and was one of the two largest Polish car manufacturers.
Referring to the Province of Burgenland's own considerations in order to second-guess the FMA's decision, the Commission also cannot accept Austria's reference to an earlier application for a banking licence made by a predecessor of SLAV AG in 1994.
These statistics had originally been defined by the European Monetary Institute (the predecessor of the ECB) as the minimum that the ECB would require for monetary policy purposes at the start of Monetary Union.
Some say that Isis is the predecessor of our own Blessed Virgin Mary.
That you are the predecessor of the curious young men.

Alternatives:

ancestor of
forerunner of
antecedent of
came before
earlier version of

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predecessor to vs predecessor of

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