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.
Although many of the women had met online beforehand, seeing one another in person was different.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Holger Schmieding, chief economist at the bank Berenberg, predicted that EU leaders would try to fill the vacancies "as a package, no later than the EU summit of 17-18 December, and possibly beforehand".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
None of the union’s members or directors had raised the issue beforehand, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Or you can do it beforehand, by emailing someone a “heads up” about what you are planning to ask.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
