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beforehand

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

adverb

  1. 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

  1. 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

Vocabulary lists containing beforehand

"The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter" by Ezra Pound

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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.

Shortly beforehand, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reportedly told Fox News that the prospect of in-person talks had been discussed.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Londoner Chisora - now with 14 defeats - had said beforehand it would be his last fight, but he hesitated to confirm his retirement when joined in the ring by his family.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

People who placed the flurry of futures trades beforehand likely pocketed tens of millions of dollars, according to calculations by a market operator for AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Lenders said they wanted Wiederhorn out as CEO as the company restructures because he failed to secure the bankruptcy judge’s required approval beforehand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

At about eight in the morning, he texted me that he was going for a run with Ainsley and that he was picking up two bottles of Gatorade beforehand.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

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.