Advertisement
Advertisement
before
[ bih-fawr, -fohr ]
preposition
- previous to; earlier or sooner than:
Phone me before noon.
- in front of; ahead of; in advance of:
his shadow advancing before him;
She stood before the window.
- ahead of; in the future of; awaiting:
The golden age is before us.
- in preference to; rather than:
They would die before surrendering.
- in precedence of, as in order or rank:
We put freedom before wealth.
- in the presence or sight of: to appear before an audience.
- less than; until: used in indicating the exact time:
It's ten before three.
- under the jurisdiction or consideration of:
He was summoned before a magistrate.
- confronted by; in the face of:
Before such wild accusations, he was too stunned to reply.
- in the regard of:
a crime before God and humanity.
- under the overwhelming influence of:
bending before the storm.
- without figuring or deducting:
income before deductions.
adverb
- in front; in advance; ahead:
The king entered with macebearers walking before.
Antonyms: ,
- in time preceding; previously:
If we'd known before, we'd have let you know.
Antonyms: ,
- earlier or sooner:
Begin at noon, not before.
Antonyms:
conjunction
- previous to the time when:
Send the telegram before we go.
- sooner than; rather than:
I will die before I submit.
before
/ ɪˈɔː /
conjunction
- earlier than the time when
- rather than
he'll resign before he agrees to it
preposition
- preceding in space or time; in front of; ahead of
standing before the altar
- when confronted by
to withdraw before one's enemies
- in the presence of
to be brought before a judge
- in preference to
to put friendship before money
adverb
- at an earlier time; previously; beforehand; in front
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of before1
Idioms and Phrases
- cart before the horse
- cast pearls before swine
- look before you leap
Example Sentences
However the lead lasted less than three minutes before Kane tied it on a wrist shot from the high slot.
The growing consensus is that the Democrats are marching out a vanguard of ancient party members to fight the war before the last war.
A former minister of Aboriginal Affairs when a Queensland state MP in the 1980s, Mr Katter says he thinks about the struggles of many Indigenous Australians "every night before I go to bed".
He went viral on TikTok weeks before the election and soared in the polls, ultimately winning almost 23% of the vote.
The Lakers had the luxury of an extra day off following a heartbreaking Game 4 loss in Minnesota before returning to practice Tuesday.
Advertisement
Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse