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

Related Words for before

previously, ahead, since, back, sooner, ante, ere, fore, former, formerly, forward, gone, heretofore, past, previous, afore, aforetime, antecedently, anteriorly, preceding

Examples from the Web for before

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of before

Come, before he comes to gibe us for having heeded a moment.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
He had discovered years before that he was sometimes able thus to puzzle her momentarily.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Sit here, and we'll talk it over sensibly, before you get ready.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
I can give you an hour, if you've anything to say before it's done—not longer.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Written years before, at the time of publication he was thirty-three.
'Tis Sixty Years Since
Charles Francis Adams

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