beforehand

[ bih-fawr-hand, -fohr- ]

/ bɪˈfɔrˌhænd, -ˈfoʊr- /

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adverb, adjective

in anticipation; in advance; ahead of time: We should have made reservations beforehand. I hope to be beforehand with my report.

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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of beforehand

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use beforehand in a sentence

Those whom he secured were taken into his confidence and agreed to the crime before hand.
The Life of Kit Carson|Edward S. Ellis
These lodging-houses always want a heap of things one never thinks of before hand.'
Camilla|Fanny Burney
In this way, the blow was obstructed and weakened before-hand by the very person at whose instigation it was struck.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Vol 2|J. H. Merle D'Aubign
I advertise you before hand, that you will become feeble, so that you will scarce know where your masculine power is.
The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love|Emanuel Swedenborg

I confess that this meeting frightens me before hand, for with him I have a natural shyness that I cannot conquer.
The Impostures of Scapin|(Poquelin) Moliere

British Dictionary definitions for beforehand

beforehand

/ (bɪˈfɔːˌhænd) /

adjective, adverb (postpositive)

early; in advance; in anticipationshe 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

beforehand

Origin of beforehand

Words related to beforehand

How to use beforehand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beforehand