precedent

[pres-i-duhnt, pri-seed-nt, pres-i-duhnt]

noun

1. Law.,  a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases.

2. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations.

   Synonyms: standard, pattern, model, example

adjective

1. going or coming before; preceding; anterior.

precedent

noun

1. law a judicial decision that serves as an authority for deciding a later case

2. an example or instance used to justify later similar occurrences

adjective

1. preceding

precedent

1. A previous ruling by a court that influences subsequent decisions in cases with similar issues.

Other Word Forms

• precedentless adjective
• nonprecedent adjective
• quasi-precedent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of precedent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Middle French, from Latin praecēdent- (stem of praecēdēns ), present participle of praecēdere “to go in front of, go ahead of”; the noun is from the adjective; precede, -ent

Idioms and Phrases

see set a precedent.

Example Sentences

Swinney told the SNP conference in Aberdeen his proposals were the most realistic way of pursuing the goal, based on a previous precedent which brought about the 2014 referendum.

Read more on BBC

The cuts go far beyond typical furloughs associated with past shutdowns, raising questions about service disruptions, long-term staffing gaps, and the precedent it sets for future administrations.

Read more on Salon

The deal has also cleared the way for a rally in biotechnology stocks that’s roughly without precedent since the biotech sector crashed in early 2021.

Read more on Barron's

That decision “is without precedent in the Canadian public markets,” and joins a series of anticompetitive actions from MEG’s board, Strathcona said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The DOJ’s request is almost literally without precedent. No state judge in California history has ever placed a correctional institution into receivership.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• criterion 

When To Use

What does precedent mean?

A precedent is an act or decision that serves as a guide for future situations with similar circumstances.For example, the first U.S. president, George Washington, set a precedent when he limited himself to only two terms as president, and presidents ever since (with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) have followed that precedent—meaning they have done the same thing.Precedent is especially used in a legal context, in which it refers to a past court decision or judicial ruling that can be used as a guideline for decisions in similar cases. In this context, precedent often refers collectively to all previous decisions relevant to the case. This sense of the word is used without the articles a or the, as in This ruling was based on precedent. Typically, lower courts (such as a state trial court or a U.S. district court) will look at decisions made by higher courts (such as a state supreme court or a U.S. court of appeals) to use as judicial precedent. Basing judicial decisions on precedent is intended to make them more objective or impartial due to not being based on a single personal opinion. Still, decisions are not required to be made based on precedent. Judges may break precedent or go against precedent in certain cases. These phrases can also be used outside of a legal context.In general, when something has never been done or has never happened before, it can be described as without precedent. The word unprecedented means the same thing.Much less commonly, precedent can be used as an adjective that means the same thing as preceding (which is much more commonly used).Example: If we make this a holiday, we’ll set a precedent that our employees will expect us to follow every year.