prototypes

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Developing multiple prototypes allows engineers to test different design changes, validate performance, and identify technical issues before the aircraft enters production. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026 The landing was so gentle, in fact, that Ship 40 appeared to remain airtight and floated in the ocean rather than sinking to the bottom as prior prototypes have. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 However, the design has reportedly attracted a number of international awards, and pre-production prototypes have made their way to online reviewers and influencers. — New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026 The prototypes were then tested by 129 volunteers, including FPS players, general gamers and existing Angry Miao users. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Some of the toys' far-out designs were taken straight out of NASA conceptual art and prototypes seen in the pages of Popular Mechanics, Life, and National Geographic magazines. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Adding to the hype factor of the event, Funko is known to give away prototypes of its figures via raffles or trivia contests. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 Since then the team has been working on the prototypes, using 3D printing to enhance the aids to further restore patients’ sense of smell. — Hannah Docter-Loeb, Scientific American, 24 July 2026 The snake robots are still very much research prototypes rather than operational tools for search and rescue. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prototypes
  1. examples
  2. forerunners
  3. originals
  4. samples
  5. precursors
  6. sources
  7. specimens
  8. ancestors
Noun
  • They were first popularized in Georgian England as small tokens of affection, infatuation or mourning, and examples are scattered across major museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The best treatment is prevention, and vaccination remains one of the clearest examples of that principle in action.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of examples
Noun
  • 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
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • Like most meat-grinder, non-auteur streaming originals, The Dink — named for an often-decisive drop shot — has the bland sheen of an insurance commercial.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • The band’s newest collection, Foreign Tongues, mixes rock and blues, originals and covers – the same styles and approaches the Rolling Stones have been melding for decades.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of originals
Noun
  • Her team selected 108 samples of feces collected from the area around Rehri Goth over the past two decades.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Now, it’s located near the vessel’s stern deck to reduce the distance water samples travel once extracted from the sea.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of samples
Noun
  • Laboratory demonstrations have already shown production pathways for lubricant precursors, munition components, active pharmaceutical ingredients, bioplastics, and single-cell proteins.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
  • In this study, published last month in Science, researchers found that as mice got close to the end of their pregnancies, placental levels of NAD+ and its precursors dropped off fast.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 20 July 2026
Definition of precursors
Noun
  • El Niño and La Niña are the biggest sources of seasonal climate predictability.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The current outbreak has previously been linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, but officials haven’t ruled out additional sources of the infection.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of sources
Noun
  • By testing multiple specimens in parallel, the platform reduced overall testing time by more than 60 percent.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026
  • Yet several scientists told KFF Health News that the specimens most likely were indeed for use in developing mpox diagnostic tests.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of specimens
Noun
  • Travelers who’d rather be outside should drive south on Snake River Road to Buffalo Eddy, where hundreds of petroglyphs etched into the basalt by Nez Perce ancestors thousands of years ago remain visible from the riverbank.
    — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • In Tenet, warriors from the future punish the present because their world is ravaged by climate change caused by us, their ancestors.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of ancestors

Browse Nearby Words

prototype
prototypes
protract
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Cite this Entry

“Prototypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prototypes. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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