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 This would be followed by Blackbeard GL prototypes and a dedicated launcher pod, with the longer-term goal of conducting a minimum viable product flight test using the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) fire-control system. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 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 Tortoise Gear says it's spent years going through dozens of prototypes to create the Lamprey91. — New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026 More colorways have either released or been shown through prototypes in official channels in the years since, but one had managed to escape documentation until just this weekend. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 As part of the program, Rolls-Royce will now begin drive-testing Project Nightingale prototypes. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2026 The event also includes product launches and prototypes, comics, art, special guests and more. — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prototypes
Noun
  • Today, Japanese designers are firmly established on the vintage market and early examples can command extraordinary prices.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • There were loads of other striking red carpet moments in London, too, Florence Pugh’s corseted Wiederhoeft gown and Scarlett Johansson’s red-hot custom Prada dress being two prime examples.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
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
Noun
  • Pay TV operator Movistar Plus is scaling up in Spanish originals.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • With such a wealth of premium British content still available to leverage, BBC originals will remain at the heart of our offering.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In a new study published in Science on Thursday, researchers collected stool samples from more than 170 people before and after a second or third dose of a COVID vaccine.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • However, there was not enough evidence to draw clear conclusions on whether free drug samples and other promotions affect decisions to place specific drugs on hospital formularies.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 9 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
  • At a moment when historically reliable sources of employment for mid-career comedians—writing for sitcoms and late night, supporting roles in film comedies, commercials—all seem to be in crisis, the podcast business is comparatively lucrative.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Confidential sources Rahmer acknowledged in his testimony that there are limits to knowing who is a confidential informant or working for agencies outside the FBI.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 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 discovery led to a complete redesign of the project, shifting the hotel inland to preserve the sacred site and honor the ancestors who remain there.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The small, troubled Trask family represents isolation, generational trauma and dysfunctional cycles in contrast to the large, loving and morally grounded Hamilton family, who are modeled after Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Prototypes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prototypes. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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