beforehand

American

[bih-fawr-hand, -fohr-] / bɪˈfɔrˌhænd, -ˈfoʊr- /

adverb

in anticipation; in advance; ahead of time.

We should have made reservations beforehand. I hope to be beforehand with my report.

beforehand British

/ bɪˈfɔːˌhænd /

adjective

early; in advance; in anticipation

she came an hour beforehand

"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

Etymology

Origin of beforehand

First recorded in 1175–1225, beforehand is from the Middle English word bifor-hand. See before, hand

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.

Mike prefers last, allowing them to showcase his idol’s range beforehand.

From Los Angeles Times

We did a lot of conditioning hikes beforehand: Mt.

From Los Angeles Times

The new kickoff format means they have to declare their intentions beforehand.

From The Wall Street Journal

To prevent other family members stepping in to try and manage this, Costa suggests having a simple conversation beforehand to establish the rules.

From BBC

Yes, he played a poor shot on Sunday but he made a really nice 60 in the second innings, having struggled so badly beforehand.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023