beforehand
Americanadverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of beforehand
First recorded in 1175–1225, beforehand is from the Middle English word bifor-hand. See before, hand
Vocabulary lists containing beforehand
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If you’re going to charge a whopping $60 to cook for people, you’d better tell them beforehand.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
To meet complex targets selected beforehand by researchers, the framework adjusted the gyrotrons' power while also repositioning their mirrors in real time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
He and his friend had gone into Tunduma on 1 April to meet a client about a car sale and decided to eat lunch beforehand.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Rickard, from the Common App, said yield usually runs lower for direct admissions because schools have less time to court prospects, many of whom know little about the institution beforehand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Half were asked to take five minutes beforehand to think about what it would mean to be a professor and write down everything that came to mind.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
