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Synonyms

preexist

American  
[pree-ig-zist] / ˌpri ɪgˈzɪst /
Or pre-exist

verb (used without object)

  1. to exist beforehand.

  2. to exist in a previous state.

verb (used with object)

  1. to exist prior to (something or someone else); precede.

    primitive artifacts that preexisted sophisticated tools.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of preexist

First recorded in 1590–1600; pre- + exist

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.