preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous.
A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
preceding in importance or privilege.
an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.
a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.
(prenominal) previous; preceding
before; until
the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders
the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot
(formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics
First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime
First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior 1
Generally you should eat dinner prior to brushing your teeth. Use the adjective prior for things that exist earlier in time or that happen first in time or order. This is a formal word that is often used in legal language. A prior claim is a person's right to something that is considered more important or valuable because it came first. If you're looking for a less formal synonym, choose the word previous. Prior is from a Latin word with the same spelling.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Revenue declined to $797.4 million from $821.1 million a year prior, ahead of the $776.7 million analysts were expecting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Two years prior, Brock’s old friend Sam Jayne, lead singer of regional peers Lync and Love as Laughter, was found dead in his car.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The yearly rate of inflation is projected to climb to 4.2% from 3.8% in the prior month, reaching the highest level since May 2023.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Consistent with that, chip maker Broadcom beat sales and earnings estimates last week—and guided for third quarter total revenue that was 4% above analysts expectations prior to the earnings release.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
In the years prior to 1919, extraordinary advances were made in the field of aviation.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
