before

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English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Middle English (adverb and preposition), from Old English beforan, itself from be- + foran 'before' (from fore)

Pronunciation [edit]

Preposition [edit]

before

  1. Earlier than (in time).
    I want this done before Monday.
    • 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, RTE Sport:
      Stephen Ward then had to time his tackle excellently to deny Tarmo Kink as the Wolves winger slid the ball out of play before the Estonian could attempt to beat Given.
  2. In front of in space.
    He stood before me.
  3. Under consideration, judgment, authority of (someone).
    The case laid before the panel aroused nothing but ridicule.
  4. In store for, in the future of (someone).
    The period before us looks grim because of the economical crisis.
  5. In front of, according to a formal system of ordering items.
    In alphabetical order, "cat" comes before "dog", "canine" before feline".
  6. At a higher or greater position in a subjective ranking.
    An entrepreneur puts market share and profit before quality, an amateur intrinsic qualities before economical considerations.

Synonyms [edit]

  • (earlier than in time): by, no later than
  • (in front of in space): ahead of, in front of
  • (in front of according to an ordering system): ahead of

Antonyms [edit]

  • (earlier than in time): after, later than
  • (in front of in space): behind
  • (in front of according to an ordering system): after

Translations [edit]

earlier than in time
in front of in space
in store for, in the future of
under consideration, judgment, authority of
in front of according to an ordering system
at a higher or greater position in a subjective ranking
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Adverb [edit]

before (not comparable)

  1. at an earlier time
    I've never done this before.
  2. in advance

Synonyms [edit]

Antonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

at an earlier time
in advance
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Conjunction [edit]

before

  1. in advance of the time when
  2. (informal) rather or sooner than

Synonyms [edit]

  • (rather than): lest

Translations [edit]

in advance of the time when
rather or sooner than
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

References [edit]

  • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Statistics [edit]

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