before

[bih-fawr, -fohr]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR before ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

previous to; earlier or sooner than: Phone me before noon.

in front of; ahead of; in advance of: his shadow advancing before him; She stood before the window.

ahead of; in the future of; awaiting: The golden age is before us.

in preference to; rather than: They would die before surrendering.

in precedence of, as in order or rank: We put freedom before wealth.

in the presence or sight of: to appear before an audience.

less than; until: used in indicating the exact time: It's ten before three.

under the jurisdiction or consideration of: He was summoned before a magistrate.

confronted by; in the face of: Before such wild accusations, he was too stunned to reply.

in the regard of: a crime before God and humanity.

under the overwhelming influence of: bending before the storm.

without figuring or deducting: income before deductions.

adverb

in front; in advance; ahead: The king entered with macebearers walking before.

in time preceding; previously: If we'd known before, we'd have let you know.

earlier or sooner: Begin at noon, not before.

conjunction

previous to the time when: Send the telegram before we go.

sooner than; rather than: I will die before I submit.

Origin of before

before 1000; Middle English beforen, Old English beforan, equivalent to be by¹ + foran before (fore fore¹ + -an adv. suffix)

Antonyms for before

13. after, behind. 14. afterward. 15. later.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for before

Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In secret, before the referendum, the council went ahead and fluoridated the water anyway.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Was there an investigation of people at DOJ before they arrived at that conclusion?
Ex-CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson’s Battle Royale With the Feds|Lloyd Grove|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This Congress will welcome more women than ever before at 19 percent of the House and 20 percent of the Senate.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

And then I met him before I started doing the impression of him when he was a guest on SNL for a moment.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The latter would sometimes exclaim, before the agents and the heirs were fairly out of hearing, "I can't understand the thing!"
Ursula|Honore de Balzac
I flourished it before him, and pointed with one hand to the broken desk, which he had not yet observed in his craven agitation.
The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, February 1899, No. 98.|Various
If things take the better turn, our condition will be surer and firmer than it was before.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XV. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
It might have been before—I don't know whether she got married here, or she met him in Texas.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Mr. Langer nodded more decisively than before and plucked a second blade of grass.
The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High|Leslie W. Quirk

British Dictionary definitions for before

before

conjunction (subordinating)

earlier than the time when

rather thanhe'll resign before he agrees to it

preposition

preceding in space or time; in front of; ahead ofstanding before the altar

when confronted byto withdraw before one's enemies

in the presence ofto be brought before a judge

in preference toto put friendship before money

adverb

at an earlier time; previously; beforehand; in front

Word Origin for before

Old English beforan; related to Old Frisian befara, Old High German bifora

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

Word Origin and History for before

adv., prep.

Old English beforan "before, in front of, in the presence of, in former times," from Proto-Germanic *bi- "by" + *forana "from the front," adverbial derivative of *fora (see for). Cf. Old Frisian bifara, Old Saxon biforan, Old High German bifora, German bevor. Contrasting before and after in illustrations is from Hogarth (1768). Before the mast in old sailing ships denoting "common sailor," is from the place of their berths, in front of the fore-mast.

Idioms and Phrases with before

before

In addition to the idioms beginning with before

before long
before the wind
before you can say Jack Robinson
before you know it

also see:

cart before the horse
cast pearls before swine
look before you leap

before

preposition

adverb

conjunction

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Origin of before

Antonyms for before

Examples from the Web for before

before

conjunction (subordinating)

preposition

adverb

Word Origin for before

before