pre-existing
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
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.
"Once you properly account for pre-existing health conditions, aging, and overall exposure to obesity, the supposed harmful effects of weight cycling largely disappear," explains Prof. Stefan.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
It defines External link illegal insider trading as “misappropriation of confidential information in breach of a pre-existing duty of trust and confidence to the source of the information.”
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
"I did my research and then started to kind of brainstorm what those ideas could be and how I could integrate my own musicality into the pre-existing world of Devil Wears Prada."
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Before the Affordable Care Act came into effect in 2014, insurers in the individual market could refuse coverage to people with serious pre-existing conditions or even those in high-risk jobs.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Telescopes and microscopes depended on pre-existing techniques for making lenses, and thermometers and barometers depended on pre-existing techniques for blowing glass.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
