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View synonyms for

prior

1

[ prahy-er ]

adjective

  1. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous:

    A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

    Synonyms: ,

  2. preceding in importance or privilege.


noun

  1. Informal. a prior conviction.

prior

2

[ prahy-er ]

noun

  1. an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.
  2. a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Prior

3

[ prahy-er ]

noun

  1. Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

Prior

1

/ ˈɪə /

noun

  1. PriorMatthew16641721MEnglishWRITING: poetPOLITICS: diplomat Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

prior

2

/ ˈɪə /

adjective

  1. prenominal previous; preceding
  2. prior to
    before; until
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. statistics a prior probability
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

prior

3

/ ˈɪə /

noun

  1. the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders
  2. the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot
  3. (formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • o· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prior1

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime

Origin of prior2

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prior1

C18: from Latin: previous

Origin of prior2

C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. prior to, preceding; before:

    Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He had already acted in plenty of soap operas in Mexico and released two pop albums as a singer prior to trying his luck in the English-speaking market.

From

But CalMatters later reported that data from the agency showed it had no prior knowledge of criminal or immigration history for 77 of the 78 people arrested.

From

This, to me, is one of the most shocking pieces of poll data that I truthfully have seen this year or maybe in any prior year….

From

In fact, prior to the casual revelation of her Arsenal support in the aforementioned interview last April, there is little indication on the internet to suggest she is an avid follower.

From

One of the judges worked as a mediator in prior fire settlements between Pacific Gas & Electric and residents.

From

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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.

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